CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Big Lottery Fund

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the Big Lottery Fund.

Estelle Morris: The Big Lottery Fund was launched on 1 June 2004 following the administrative merger of the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and the Community Fund. The National Lottery Bill, currently before Parliament, will establish one new body, which will replace the two existing Funds and the Millennium Commission and have responsibility for distributing half the money for good causes from the National Lottery. The Big Lottery Fund will build on the achievements of NOF and the Community Fund, but will be a genuinely new body. There will be much more opportunity to involve the public in priority setting, getting local people actively involved in improving life in their communities.

Departmental Spending

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her latest estimate is of unallocated departmental spending in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07, and (c) 2007–08; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brent, South (Mr. Boateng) on 2 February 2005, Official Report, column 910W.

Lottery Money (Chorley)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much lottery money has been granted to Derian House Children's Hospice in Chorley.

Estelle Morris: In 2003 Derian House Children's Hospice in Chorley received two awards from the then New Opportunities Fund, £380,914 and the other of £649,971.

Lottery Money (Chorley)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much lottery money has been granted in the Chorley constituency in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2004–05; and to which schemes.

Estelle Morris: The table shows how much money the constituency of Chorley was awarded in the following years.
	
		
			  2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Arts Council England 15,080 10,085 19,190 
			 Awards For All (England)  Joint Scheme 121,626 169,885 153,728 
			 Community Fund 623,418 477,950 200,804 
			 Heritage Lottery Fund 7,786 228,632 7,900 
			 New Opportunities Fund 2,274,185 3,421,021 25,019 
			 Sport England 27,000 0 0 
			 UK Film Council 0 0 5,000 
			 Grand total 3,069,095 4,307,573 411,641 
		
	
	This information is freely available from the Department's searchable Lottery award database at www.lottery.culture.gsi.gov.uk, which uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors. The figures for 2004 are not yet final due to lags in the reporting process.

Lottery Money (Chorley)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many lottery applications from the Chorley constituency are awaiting decision.

Estelle Morris: Applications from the constituency of Chorley are awaiting decision from the following distributing bodies:
	
		
			 Distributing body Application 
		
		
			 Awards for All 10 
			 Big Lottery Fund 6 
			 Sport England 3 
			 UK Film Council 2 
			 Heritage Lottery Fund 2

Swimming Baths (Parental Supervision)

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received on the rules for parental supervision of children in public swimming baths.

Richard Caborn: The Department has received a number of letters from members of the public and from hon. Members of Parliament, who have been contacted by their constituents, asking the Government to examine this issue.
	The guidance has been introduced by the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM) to improve safety at swimming pools. The degree to which it is applied is ultimately a decision for the owners and operators of individual swimming pools to make. However, it is clear that the guidance is being rigidly applied in many cases and that some pool operators are not recognising the flexibility contained within it.
	The Department will host a meeting on Friday 11 February 2005 with the ISRM and other interested parties to explore how we can encourage the adoption of a common sense approach when applying the guidance.

Swimming Baths (Parental Supervision)

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who has been invited to the meeting promised by the Prime Minister during his visit to Kent to Ms Carolyn Warner of the Right to Swim Pressure Group; and when the meeting is scheduled to take place.

Richard Caborn: The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on Friday 11 February 2005.
	Representatives from the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management, the Health and Safety Executive, the Local Government Association the Amateur Swimming Association and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents will attend the meeting along with Carolyn Warner and officials from the DCMS.

Swimming Baths (Parental Supervision)

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many children have drowned in public swimming pools in each of the last five years.

Richard Caborn: According to latest available statistics provided by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the following number of children (16-years of age or under) have died in the past five years:
	
		
			  Number of children 
		
		
			 1999 3 
			 2000 5 
			 2001 5 
			 2002 5 
			 2003 4

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Angling

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with interested parties in respect of the use of rivers by anglers and cormorants.

Ben Bradshaw: I regularly meet and have ad hoc discussions with interested parties with regard to the use of rivers by anglers and cormorants. Most recently I met with anglers representatives at the 4th National Angling Summit on 2 February, when the issue of cormorants was discussed.

Biodiversity

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on biodiversity in the UK of allowing free trade in agricultural products.

Ben Bradshaw: The impacts of free trade in agricultural products on biodiversity will be largely determined by the subsequent business decisions made by farmers. Prior to reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, production decisions were influenced by the subsidy regime. To monitor and evaluate the impacts of changes in farmers' production decisions, Defra will establish a range of improved monitoring processes including an 'observatory' function. This will look at the environmental impacts of the reforms as a result of changes in farm practices and production levels. We have commissioned a scoping study to help us define this function and are currently considering options for delivering it.

Bovine TB

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the change in incidence of bovine TB in cattle has been since 1999.

Ben Bradshaw: The incidence of TB in cattle herds in Great Britain is measured as the percentage of tests on unrestricted herds resulting in a confirmed breakdown. The latest figures for the change in incidence is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Confirmed new incidents as a percentage of tests on unrestricted herds 
		
		
			 1 January–30 November 2004(1) 3.24 
			 1 January–31 December 2003 3.48 
			 1 January–31 December 2002(2) 4.25 
			 1 January–31 December 2001(3) 4.54 
			 1 January–31 December 2000 2.76 
			 1 January–31 December 1999 2.26 
		
	
	(1)In 2001, the TB testing and control programme was largely suspended due to the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. When testing resumed in 2002, resources were concentrated on herds with overdue TB tests which would have had a longer period in which to contract the disease. Also the proportion of high risk herds tested immediately after the FMD outbreak was greater than that prior to the outbreak.
	(2)The data for 2002 are therefore, also not comparable with other years.
	(3)Provisional data downloaded from the State Veterinary Service Data Warehouse on 17–21 January 2005. Subject to change as more data become available.

Common Agricultural Policy

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate she has made of how much the Common Agricultural Policy costs an average sized family in (a) increased food prices and (b) taxes.

Alun Michael: The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) raises the price of agricultural products to consumers, though the specific effect will vary over time according to conditions in world markets and exchange rates. We can make an estimate of the cost of the CAP to consumers by comparing the domestic price of agricultural products with the world price. Our latest provisional estimate is for 2003 and this shows a cost to UK consumers in the range £4.50 to £5, per family of four, per week.
	The UK does not contribute to individual EU budget categories, rather it contributes to the entire EU budget.In order to provide an indication of the cost to UK taxpayers we have calculated a notional UK contribution to expenditure on the CAP. In 2003 we estimate this to have been around £5, per family of four, per week.
	It remains the Government's objective to bring the down the cost of the CAP to taxpayers and consumers.

Departmental Spending

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her latest estimate is of unallocated departmental spending in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07, and (c) 2007–08; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: Plan figures for departmental unallocated provision in 2005–06 were published in Central Government Supply Estimates 2004–05, Supplementary Budget Information (Cm 6133). Plan figures for 2006–07 and 2007–08 will be published in Central Government Supply Estimates 2005–06, Supplementary Budget Information.

Farm Subsidies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how she will apply the single payment scheme to areas of common land, broken down by appropriate registration schemes for the land.

Alun Michael: We announced the way in which farmers with common land rights may apply under the single payment scheme in December last year. Details are available on the Defra website and will soon be sent to all farmers in another policy update brochure. We shall be considering applications from farmers by 16 May who have agricultural rights to common land in calculating the allocation of entitlements under the single payment scheme. In the majority of cases, these rights will have been registered under The Registration of Commons Act 1965. One exception to that is the New Forest where we are currently consulting with interests to determine what arrangements will apply there.

Fishing Quotas

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) discussions her Department has had with and (b) communications have been received from the European Commission since 1998 on the imposition of monthly cod quota allocations for individual vessels operated by under 10 metre PO members exploiting waters in (i) Area VIId and (ii) other areas.

Ben Bradshaw: None. Vessels fishing against quota allocations managed by producer organisations (POs) are not subject to monthly catch limits set by fisheries departments but to such catch restrictions as may be imposed by their POs.

Foot and Mouth

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what systems were put in place by her Department to ensure that all relevant evidence was submitted to the Anderson Inquiry into the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 4 February 2005
	Defra set up an Inquiries Liaison Unit which was responsible for ensuring that Dr. Anderson's Lessons Learned Inquiry had access to any relevant information it requested relating to the FMD outbreak.

Free Trade

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the economic effects on (a) UK consumers and (b) the UK economy of allowing free trade in agricultural products.

Alun Michael: Allowing free trade in agricultural products would eliminate the costs to consumers of higher food prices generated by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Our latest provisional estimate is for 2003 and this shows a cost to UK consumers in the range £4.50 to £5, per family of four, per week.
	Free trade in agricultural products would benefit the UK economy through a more efficient allocation of domestic resources. We have not made our own estimate of the magnitude of the effect; a number of such estimates have been published in academic journals. These estimated costs vary, according to the baseline and methodology used. A recent estimate (along with a review of previous studies) is contained in Philippidis, G., and Hubbard, L.J., (2001), 'The economic cost of the CAP revisited', Agricultural Economics", 25, 375–385. This puts the economic cost of the CAP at around 0.2 per cent. of GDP for the EU and 0.5 per cent. for the UK. It should be noted that this estimate predates recent reforms, which will reduce the estimated economic costs of the CAP.
	The UK Government will continue to argue during the current World Trade Organisation round for further liberalisation of agricultural trade, which will bring economic benefits to both developed and developing countries.

Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total expenditure by her Department on (a) advertising and (b) advertising and publicity was in (i) 1996–97, (ii)1997–98 and (iii) 2003–04; and what the estimate of cost of each will be in (A) 2004–05, (B) 2005–06, (C)2006–07 and (D) 2007–08.

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 20 November 2003, Official Report, column 1235W and 3 March 2004, Official Report, column 958W. This includes communications on a wide range of matters, much of it necessary or beneficial to the public and the wide range of industries in which Defra has an interest, together with local government, voluntary organisations and other bodies.
	Estimated costs for 2004–05 are not yet available and total allocations for advertising and publicity for 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2007–08 have not yet been made.

Research and Development

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure (a) her Department and (b) agencies for which her Department is responsible have made on research and development by private sector companies in each financial year since 2001–02.

Alun Michael: Defra is a major funder of research, currently spending over £150 million pa on research services. The research budget is held within core-Defra. It is spent directly with contractor organisations and not accounted for through any of Defra's Executive Agencies. The figures provided are, therefore, limited to Defra expenditure alone.
	
		Defra R and D expenditure
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2001–02 24,912 
			 2002–03 27,747 
			 2003–04 28,619

Research and Development

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) her Department's expenditure and (b) the expenditure of each agency for which she is responsible on research and development relating to UK university departments andresearch centres in each year between 2001–02 and 2003–04.

Alun Michael: Defra is a major funder of research, currently spending over £150 million per annum on research services. The research budget is held within core-Defra. It is spent directly with contractor organisations and not accounted for through any of Defra's Executive Agencies. The figures provided are, therefore, limited to Defra expenditure alone.
	
		Defra R and D expenditure
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2001–02 18,284 
			 2002–03 16,000 
			 2003–04 17,379

Research and Development

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) her Department and (b) each agency for which she is responsible spent on research and development with overseas Government laboratories or research establishments (including collaborative Government funded laboratories and research establishments) in each year between 2001–02 and 2003–04.

Alun Michael: Defra is a major funder of research, currently spending over £150 million per annum on research services. The research budget is held within core-Defra. It is spent directly with contractor organisations and not accounted for through any of Defra's Executive Agencies. The figures provided are, therefore, limited to Defra expenditure alone.
	
		Defra R and D expenditure
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2001–02 12 
			 2002–03 254 
			 2003–04 366

Research and Development

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much and what percentage of the expenditure of each agency sponsored by her Department went on research and development in each year between 2001–02 and 2003–04.

Alun Michael: Defra is a major funder of research, currently spending over £150 million per annum on research services. The research budget is held within core-Defra. It is spent directly with contractor organisations and not accounted for through any of Defra's Executive Agencies except in the case of the Pesticides Safety Directorate and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate who together currently manage research funding of £7.6 million per annum on the Departments behalf.
	The Executive agencies for which the Department is responsible are the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Central Science Laboratory (CSL), Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). These agencies may be contractors receiving Defra R and D funding, or in the case of PSD and VMD, managers of Defra R and D funding. The figures do not cover research expenditure made by Non-Departmental Public Bodies such as the Environment Agency and the Countryside Agency.

Research and Development

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure was made by (a) the Department and (b) agencies for which the Department is responsible on research and development projects undertaken by organisations other than university departments, Government-funded research establishments and private sector companies in each year since 2001–02.

Alun Michael: Defra is a major funder of research, currently spending over £150 million per annum on research services. The research budget is held within core-Defra. It is spent directly with contractor organisations and not accounted for through any of Defra's Executive Agencies. The figures provided are, therefore, limited to Defra expenditure alone.
	
		Defra R and D expenditure
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2001–02 4,724 
			 2002–03 4,924 
			 2003–04 4,480

SCOTLAND

Economic Growth

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the future rate of growth of the Scottish economy by comparison with the UK economy.

Alistair Darling: Future growth prospects are positive. Business surveys are pointing to a continued strengthening of business activity in Scotland. Independent forecasters predict that GDP growth in Scotland will remain above trend into 2005 and 2006, and that the differential between Scotland and the UK will narrow. Since 2001 there have been some signs of convergence, although it is difficult to make firm conclusions in such a short time span.

Economic Growth

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has held with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) the Scottish Executive on prospects for growth in the Scottish economy by comparison with the rest of the UK.

Alistair Darling: I have regular discussions on a range of matters with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor and with the Scottish Executive.

Disability Rights

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next expects to meet the Scottish representatives of the Disability Rights Commission to discuss disability rights in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: I have met the Disability Rights Commission on a number of occasions in the last year to discuss disability rights in Scotland. I have no immediate plans for another meeting.

Pensioner Poverty

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister about pensioner poverty in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend discusses a wide range of issues with the First Minister. The hon. Lady will be aware that tackling pensioner poverty is one of the key policies of this Government.

Identity Cards

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the costs of introducing identity cards in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: My hon. Friend, the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration at the Home Office, set out forecast costs of introducing an identity cards scheme in his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (John Barrett) on 20 December 2004, Official Report, column 1901.
	The costs of issuing identity cards to people living in Scotland have not been identified separately.

Small Businesses

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the level of central Government regulation of small businesses in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: I regularly meet Cabinet colleagues to discuss a wide range of issues. The Government are committed to eliminating unnecessary regulations affecting all businesses and works with all stakeholders, including the European Commission, the Scottish Executive, enforcement authorities, as well as small businesses themselves, to achieve this.

Small Businesses

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many small businesses were created in Scotland during 2004.

Alistair Darling: Information from the Committee of Scottish Clearing Banks shows 21,468 new business accounts were opened at Scotland's four main clearing banks in 2003. There were 126,560 VAT registered business in Scotland at the start of 2004, the highest level since the present series began in 1994. Data for 2004 is not yet available.

Burns Anniversary

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on using national lottery funding for projects to mark the legacy of Robert Burns, with particular reference to the 250th anniversary of his birth.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend has regular discussions with the First Minister on a range of topics. As my hon. Friend will appreciate, decisions on national lottery funding of this kind in Scotland are a matter for Scottish Ministers.

Tax Credit Overpayment

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Treasury on tax credit overpayment in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend has regular discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a range of issues.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Smoking Policy

David Taylor: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what recent developments there have been in the designation of no-smoking areas in the precincts of the House; and if he will make a statement.

Archy Kirkwood: On 27 January the Commission announced through a notice in the All Party Whip that the House would as from Monday 4 April become smoke-free, save as otherwise provided. A staff notice was issued on the same day. Smoking will continue to be allowed in Refreshment Department bars, except the Strangers' Bar and Terrace Pavilion Bar: it will no longer be allowed in any outlets serving food, including the Members Tea Room.

Environmental Practice

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will instigate an audit of the House's environmental practices.

Archy Kirkwood: As my hon. Friend will know from my previous answers to him, an environmental survey of the parliamentary estate was carried out in 2004 by the consultants Urban Mines Ltd., and a copy of the report has been placed in the Library. Its detailed recommendations are being taken forward by the Working Group on Recycling and the Energy Savers Group.

Election Artist

Andrew Turner: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost is of the contract for the provision of the services of an election artist.

Archy Kirkwood: A number of highly regarded contemporary artists were invited to submit proposals for a work based on the next general election campaign for a fee of £10,000 plus VAT. There are likely to be some additional costs for framing and the artist's travel and subsistence expenses. The Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art selected David Godbold as the successful artist. The costs of the commission will be met from that Committee's acquisition budget.

Postal Services

Michael Connarty: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what plans he has to re-examine the recent changes made to postal services in the House.

Archy Kirkwood: There have in fact been no recent changes to the postal services in the House. The Mail Screening service was the subject of a tender exercise and the contract was awarded to Pitney Bowes with effect from 1 July 2005. A procurement exercise for the Mail Delivery Service, covering behind the scenes sorting and preparation, will be completed later this year.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

English Regions

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Leader of the House if he will bring forward proposals to increase opportunities for hon. Members to debate matters affecting the English regions.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House is open to suggestion on this, as on other matters. In particular, he would be very willing to consider any suggested topics of regional interest suitable for debate in the Standing Committee on Regional Affairs.

Citizenship Syllabus

Ann Coffey: To ask the Leader of the House what representations he has made to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on giving more emphasis to Parliament in the school citizenship syllabus.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House has drawn to the attention of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills the recommendation of the Modernisation Committee, in its report on Connecting Parliament with the Public", that Ministers re-examine the balance of the citizenship curriculum to ensure that it provides young people with an understanding of Parliament and the political process.

Chartered Aircraft

Chris Grayling: To ask the Leader of the House how much money his Office has spent on chartering aircraft in each of the past five years.

Peter Hain: None.
	Travel by Ministers makes clear that special flights may be authorised when a scheduled service is not available, or when it is essential to travel by air, but the requirements of official or parliamentary business or security considerations or urgency preclude the journey being made by a scheduled service. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The list published in 1999 covers the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999. Where RAF/Private Charter aircraft are used this is shown in the list. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2004–05 will be published in due course.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Appeal Judges (Training)

Dave Watts: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what advice and training is being provided to appeal judges on implementing new legislation aimed at combating antisocial behaviour and illegal drug use.

Christopher Leslie: Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board which is an independent body chaired by Lord Justice Keene. The Judicial Studies Board provides dedicated training on antisocial behaviour issues to civil judges who will hear such cases at first instance and on appeal. Training for judges in the criminal courts, who would hear appeals against sentence in the magistrates courts, include sessions on antisocial behaviour orders and on drug use and offending

Mental Capacity Bill

Ben Chapman: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs what recent discussions he has held with the Archbishop of Cardiff regarding the Mental Capacity Bill.

David Lammy: My ministerial colleagues and I continue to discuss this important Bill with a very wide range of stakeholders, including the Catholic Church.
	On 25 January Clause 4 of the Bill was amended in the other place to fulfil the commitments that I made on Report. The amendment to clause 4 makes it explicit that a desire to bring about a person's death cannot affect the process of determining what is in his best interests.
	I am pleased that these amendments have been welcomed in the other place and by Archbishop Peter Smith.

House of Lords Reform

Andy Burnham: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on further reform of the House of Lords and indirect elections to that House.

Michael Connarty: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs when he plans to bring forward legislation to reform the composition of the House of Lords.

Christopher Leslie: There continue to be a wide range of views on the proper functions, powers and composition of the House of Lords. We have made it clear that we intend to return to the issue of House of Lords reform in the context of our Manifesto.

County Courts

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs what steps the Government are taking to enable court cases to be heard more quickly by county courts.

Christopher Leslie: The Government recognise the need to remove any unnecessary delays in the civil and family courts, especially in vulnerable cases involving child welfare issues. We are aiming to increase the proportion of cases completed in 40 weeks by 10 per cent. in the family proceedings courts over the current spending review period.

Departmental Spending

David Laws: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs what his latest estimate is of unallocated departmental spending in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07, and (c) 2007–08; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 2 February 2005, Official Report, column 910W.

In-house Magazines

George Osborne: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs how much has been spent on the production of in-house magazines in the Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: Costs incurred by my Department for producing in-house magazines are detailed in the following table.
	
		£
		
			  DCA Court service Public guardianship office 
			  Hearsay 28,000X24 page, 4-colour Direct brief 12,000X8 page, 4-colour UA news (unified administration) 47,000X4 page, 2-colour Update 400X8 page, photocopy 
		
		
			 1997–98 Accounting system change — — — 
			 1998–99 (4)31,428.69 — — — 
			 1999–2000 67,098.72 — — — 
			 2000–01 101,279.19 — — — 
			 2001–02 108,315.12 — — — 
			 2002–03 130,747.80 (5)4,000 — (5)(5507360006)24 
			 2003–04 136,490.34 52,883 (5)19,972.24 (6)672 
			 2004–05 (7)109,680.04 (7)56,000 20,073.69 (7)560 
		
	
	(4)DCA HQ December to March only. Lord Chancellor's Department changed accounting systems in November 1998–99.
	(5)First edition.
	(6)Photocopying costs only, no editorial, design or print costs as this is produced entirely by the internal communications team
	(7)Yield to date

Staff Training

George Osborne: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs what the costs of departmental (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department were in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The costs of (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department in each year since 1997 are not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts without incurring disproportionate costs.
	The Department is committed to providing access to training for staff and developing them to their full potential.

PRIME MINISTER

Correspondence

Norman Lamb: To ask the Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for North Norfolk of 5 January entitled, Chequers: Parliamentary Ombudsman's Decision.

Tony Blair: A reply has been sent. A copy of the reply has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Aerospace Industry (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of jobs (a) in the aerospace industry in Lancashire and (b) dependent on the aerospace industry in Lancashire.

Jacqui Smith: In 2003 there were 17,622 employees working in SIC 353 (manufacture of aircraft and spacecraft) in Lancashire, including the unitary authorities of Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen 1 . No estimates have been made of jobs, wherever located, dependent on the aerospace industry in Lancashire.
	1 Source:
	National Statistics, NOMIS.

Corruption

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing international trade barriers on reducing corruption in developing countries.

Douglas Alexander: None. However, a number of international organisations have examined the theoretical links between trade barriers and corruption, and a 1998 empirical study by the OECD Development Centre, entitled Determinants of Customs Fraud and Corruption: Evidence from Two African Countries," concluded that
	protectionist trade policies promote customs fraud by increasing the incentive for private citizens to engage in illegal behaviour and for government officials to abuse their office for personal, pecuniary gain."

Departmental Catering

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many departmental (a) canteens and (b) bars there are; and how much has been spent on the (i) running, (ii) staffing and (iii) supply costs of each in each year since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: The information is as follows:
	(a) The Department has a total of two staff restaurants and four cafe style outlets in three buildings.
	(b) The Department has no bars serving alcoholic beverages.
	Operation of these facilities is through an outside contractor. In 1996–07, the direct cost to the Department was about £325,000 in terms of a subsidy; since June 2000, they have operated on a nil subsidy basis with no direct costs to the Department. Figures for the years between 1997 and 2000 are not available.

Staff Surveys

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the annual cost of consultants carrying out staff surveys in the Department was since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: In line with Investors in People good practice for employers, the Department commissions regular opinion surveys of its employees on matters relating to their jobs.
	The Department has contracted-out the conducting of its staff survey to external research agencies since 2001–02. Companies are selected via an open competitive tender in line with government procurement rules. Details of costs:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2001–02 20 
			 2002–03 30 
			 2003–04 39 
			 2004–05 31.5

Staff Surveys

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of staff surveys in the Department was in each year since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: In line with Investors in People good practice for employers, the Department commissions regular opinion surveys of its employees on matters relating to their jobs.
	The Department began commissioning staff surveys in 1998. In 1998 and 2000, the surveys were conducted in-house, so costs are not available for these years. Costs for subsequent years were:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2001–02 20 
			 2002–03 30 
			 2003–04 39 
			 2004–05 31.5

VAT Registrations

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many VAT registrations there have been in Stoke-on-Trent in each year since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: There were 445,000 (revised) business start-up in England and Wales in 2003, a 16 per cent. increase on the year before. A further 396,000 businesses started up in England and Wales in the first nine months of 2004. This represents an increase of 14 per cent. on the first nine months of 2003.
	Barclays bank latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 445,000 (revised) business start-up in England and Wales in 2003, a 16 per cent. increase on the year before. A further 396,000 businesses started up in England and Wales in the first nine months of 2004. This represents an increase of 14 per cent. on the nine months of 2003. There were 1,100 business start-ups in Stoke-on-Trent Unitary Authority in 2003 and a further 900 in the first nine months of 2004. Business start-up data is available at http://www.barclays.co.uk/business.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidance she plans to issue to the construction industry concerning the application of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive to products used by the construction industry.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government have issued generic guidance on the scope and requirements of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive and remains happy to work with individual sectors on specific points.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what obligations will be placed on business end users discarding their waste electrical and electronic equipment to deliver that equipment to a licensed site where there is no provision for the separate bulking up of the various categories of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Patricia Hewitt: Equipment covered by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive and sold on a business to business basis will be the responsibility of the equipment producer at end of life, unless it was placed on the market before 13 August 2005 and is not being replaced on a like for like basis. In such a case it would become the responsibility of the business user to ensure that it would be treated and recycled in accordance with the Directive, and through the existing Duty of Care legislation.
	The Government will be producing practical guidance to producers and business users alike on these obligations.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Tackling Intruders

David Davis: To ask the Solicitor-General how many cases have been brought by the Crown Prosecution Service with regard to people tackling intruders in (a) residential properties and (b) retail properties in each year since 1990.

Harriet Harman: Prosecution statistics do not record whether a case involved a householder tackling an intruder. However, an informal survey of the 42Crown Prosecution Service areas in December 2004 revealed that there were 11 cases prosecuted in the last 15 years. Of these, six concerned residential properties, two concerned commercial properties, two concerned allotment sheds and one concerned private fishing grounds.

Under-age Alcohol Sales

Gary Streeter: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions were brought by the Crown Prosecution Service in Devon for supplying alcohol to underaged purchasers in 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Although, the Crown Prosecution Service in Devon and Cornwall has identified one case brought in Devon for supplying alcohol to underaged purchasers in 2004, which was subsequently discontinued due to insufficient evidence, it is not possible to provide accurate statistics as the information is not recorded centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

WALES

Aircraft Charters

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Waleshow much money his Department has spent on chartering aircraft in each of the past five years.

Peter Hain: None

Civil Servants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in his Department and its agencies was in each year from 1997–98 to 2003–04 and what the estimated cost will be in each year from 2004–05 to 2007–08; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office was established July 1999. No costs have been incurred under the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants scheme up to 2003–04, and it is not anticipated that any cost will be incurred under this scheme for 2004–05 to 2007–08.

Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the total expenditure by his Department on (a) advertising and (b) advertising and publicity was in(i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98 and (iii) 2003–04; and what the estimate of cost of each will be in (A) 2004–05, (B)2005–06, (C) 2006–07 and (D) 2007–08.

Don Touhig: My Department has run no television, newspaper, radio advertising or any other kind of promotional campaign since its creation in July 1999. It has no agencies or departmental public bodies within its responsibilities. We are not responsible for campaigns that may be run by the National Assembly or other Government Departments in Wales. It is not estimated that this will change in the years referred to.

Queen's Flight

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions departmental Ministers have used the Queen's Flight in each of the past five years.

Peter Hain: None.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces Strength

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) established strength and (b) current trained strength is of officers in (i) the Royal Air Force, (ii) the Royal Navy and (iii) the Army.

Ivor Caplin: The Trained Officer Strengths and Requirements 1 as at 1 December 2004 were as follows:
	1 The full-time trained strength and the trained requirement both include trained UK regular forces, trained Gurkhas and full-time reserve service (FTRS) personnel. They do not include the Home.
	
		
			   Trained requirement Full-time trained strength 
		
		
			 All Services 30,900 30,700 
			 Naval Service(8) 7,000 6,860 
			 UK Regular Forces 7,000 6,670 
			 FTRS(9) 0 190 
			 Army 13830 14,030 
			 UK Regular Forces 13,720 13,610 
			 FTRS(9) 0 280 
			 Gurkhas 110 140 
			 Royal Air Force 10,080 9,810 
			 UK Regular Forces 9,940 9,620 
			 FTRS(9) 140 190 
		
	
	(8)Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists or Naval Activated Reservists. They also exclude 180 locally employed personnel, the Gibraltar Permanent Cadre (GPC) who are all male and all trained.
	(9)Naval Service comprises the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
	Notes:
	1.FTRS strength figures include full commitment (FC), home commitment (HC) and limited commitment (LC) individuals. For the Army, FC and LC individuals serve against the requirement while HC individuals fill posts specifically for FTRS personnel. For the RAF, FC individuals serve against the requirement while HC and LC individuals fill posts specifically for FTRS personnel.
	2.All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, due to the methods used totals may not equal the sum of the parts. Figures ending in five have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Defence Transport and Movements Agency

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people currently work for the Defence Transport and Movements Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; what the personnel costs of the agency are; and what the figures were in 2003–04.

Adam Ingram: Staff figures for the Defence Transport and Movements Agency are displayed in the following table:
	
		Defence Transport and Movements Agency
		
			 As at 1 April: Civilian personnel Service personnel Total 
		
		
			 2003
			 Total 290 100 390 
			 Scotland — — — 
			 
			 2004
			 Total 320 90 410 
			 Scotland (10)20 — (10)20 
		
	
	(10)Personnel numbers for Scotland were supplied from locally held records by the DTMA.
	Notes:
	1.Personnel numbers other than those sourced from DTMA are published in UK Defence Statistics 2003 and 2004 at Table 2.6.
	2.Personnel figures are based on full-time equivalent numbers
	3.Figures are rounded to the nearest 10
	DTMA's personnel costs for the last two financial years can be found in the agency's latest Annual Reports and Accounts, which are laid in the Library of the House and can be found in the publications section of the Ministry of Defence's website at www.mod.uk.

Defence Vetting Agency

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Vetting Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; what the equivalent figures were in 2004; what the personnel costs of the agency are; and what they were in 2004.

Adam Ingram: In January 2005 the number of people working for the Defence Vetting Agency was 320. Of these six were based in Scotland. The equivalent figures for January 2004 were 320 and six. The personnel costs of the agency for financial year 2004–05 are not yet finalised but are projected to be £8.4 million. In financial year 2003–04 they were £8.1 million.

Falklands War

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  who the (a) members and (b) stenographer of the board of inquiry into the sinking of HMS Sheffield were;
	(2)  which individuals were called to give evidence to the board of inquiry into the sinking of HMS Sheffield;
	(3)  if he will publish the contents of the typed manuscripts of evidence produced by the board of inquiry into the sinking of HMS Sheffield;
	(4)  what instructions were given to the former Commander-in-Chief, Lord Fieldhouse of Gosport by (a) the First Sea Lord, (b) the Admiralty Board and (c) the Cabinet Office, with regard to convening courts martial proceedings relating to the loss of HMS Sheffield;
	(5)  what instructions were issued to the board of inquiry that was convened to investigate the loss of HMS Sheffield, by the commander-in-chief; and what findings were reported to the commander-in-chief on completion of the inquiry;
	(6)  what instructions were given to the former First Sea Lord, Sir Henry Leach, by the Cabinet Office, in regard to convening of courts martial proceedings relating to the loss of warships during the Falklands war, with particular reference to the loss of HMS Sheffield.

Adam Ingram: The records pertaining to the loss of HMS Sheffield are currently being retrieved from archives. I will write to the hon. Member once they have been received and re-examined, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

HMCS Chicoutimi

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Royal Navy, (b) Ministry of Defence and (c) other UK Government personnel have given evidence to the Canadian House of Commons inquiry into the fire on board HMCS Chicoutimi; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Nine members of the Royal Navy and one Ministry of Defence civil servant are known to have given evidence to the Canadian Board of Inquiry into the fire on board HMCS Chicoutimi. Separately, the Canadian Parliament has convened an inquiry into the acquisition of submarines by the Canadian Government. There is no record of UK armed forces personnel, or UK Government civil servants, being called to give evidence to that inquiry.

Mutual Defence Agreement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the last transfer of nuclear material between the United States and Britain under the Mutual Defence Agreement took place; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement makes provision for the transfer of special nuclear materials. Such transfers are in connection with nuclear warhead assurance and stockpile stewardship matters. Precise details of such transfers are being withheld in order to safeguard national security.

RAF Machrihanish

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what infrastructural improvements have been undertaken at RAF Machrihanish in each of the last five years; whether there is work under way; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: No improvements have been made to the infrastructure of the former RAF Station at Machrihanish within the last five years. Care and Maintenance work, however, is regularly undertaken to meet MOD's own requirements and to conform to Health and Safety regulations.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the use of satellites for extremely high frequency communications with Trident nuclear submarines; which satellites his Department plans to use for extremely high frequency communications with Trident nuclear submarines; and if he will make a statement on his Department's assessment of the importance of extremely high frequency communications with Trident nuclear submarines.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 28 June 2004, Official Report, column 150W, by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Trident submarines are on active service; how many are being repaired; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Of the four Vanguard Class submarines in service, two are rotating through the operational cycle, one is undergoing a period of pre-planned long maintenance, and one is regenerating after completing a pre-planned long maintenance period and refuelling.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Apprenticeships

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how much money has been spent by her Department on funding apprenticeships in Lancashire since 1997;
	(2)  how many apprenticeships have been made available in (a) Lancashire and (b) the North West since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom the council's chief executive will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Apprenticeships

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on apprenticeships in Lancashire.

Ivan Lewis: I warmly endorse the apprenticeship provision in Lancashire, where there are currently 6,814 apprentices in a diverse set of sectors. The LSC offers employers a single point of contact for their apprenticeship provision via an independent broker. The LSC also part fund school liaison officers to promote apprenticeships to year 10 and 11 pupils in schools. The LSC works with Connexions and Jobcentre Plus to maximise take up of apprenticeships and convert jobs without training into apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list, by Learning and Skills Council area, the number of apprenticeships that have been granted in each of the past three years.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Building Schools for the Future

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on Building Schools for the Future in Lancashire; and if she will list the new projects (a) planned, (b) under way and (c) completed in Lancashire under the programme.

Stephen Twigg: Lancashire is in Wave 1 of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme and its business case for 11 schools in Burnley is presently being considered for approval, with construction likely to begin in 2006. BSF will impact on all pupils over the next 15 years and the remaining 108 schools in Lancashire will be split into area groups of investment. One group of investment consisting of 21 schools is projected to fall in Waves 7–9, two groups consisting of 53 schools are projected to fall within Waves 10–12 and two further groups of 34 schools are projected to fall within Waves 13–15.
	Since Building Schools for the Future is a relatively young programme, there are as yet no completed projects.

Class Sizes

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children aged (a) five, (b) six and (c) seven years were taught in class sizes of over 30 in (i) Lancashire and (ii) Chorley in each of the last seven years.

Stephen Twigg: The age of individual pupils in classes is not collected centrally. The available information is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary schools(11): Number of pupils in Key Stage 1 classes of 31 or more pupils taught by one teacher—1998 to 2004—position in January each year
		
			  Lancashire local education authority Chorley parliamentary constituency 
			   Number of pupils in classes of 31 or more  Number of pupils in classes of 31 or more 
			  Total pupils in all classes Number of pupils Percentage of pupils(12) Total pupils in all classes Number of pupils Percentage of pupils(12) 
		
		
			 1998(13) 51,036 21,844 42.8 3,453 1,430 41.4 
			 1999 38,094 10,631 27.9 3,341 854 25.6 
			 2000 37,842 4,314 11.4 3,331 479 14.4 
			 2001 36,202 127 0.4 3,273 31 0.9 
			 2002 35,856 133 0.4 3,452 32 0.9 
			 2003 33,407 130 0.4 2,977 0 0.0 
			 2004 33,129 196 0.6 2,881 0 0.0 
		
	
	(11)Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(12)Percentage of pupils in those classes expressed as a percentage of pupils in all classes taught by one teacher.
	(13)Before local government reorganisation.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

Education (16-to-19 year olds)

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the components are of the unit cost funding gap between the cost of educating (a) a school sixth-former and (b) a further education college student in the 16 to 19 age range.

Kim Howells: The Department is unable to provide full details on unit cost for both school sixth forms and further education colleges. We are however able to provide details of funding rates for the two types of institution. It is worth noting however that these figures do not represent all funding that school sixth forms and colleges receive and are thus not directly comparable.
	Under the LSC's funding formula the basic cost to the public purse of delivering three A-levels to a student at an English maintained secondary school will be £3,212 in the academic year 2004/05. This figure comprises £785 for the delivery of each A-level learning aim, £750 for each student for the entitlement element of their learning programme, and £107 for each student to meet additional employers' contributions to teachers' pensions.
	The LSC funding rates show that the basic cost to the public purse of delivering three A-levels in a sixth form college and a further education college to a student in the 2004/05 academic year will be £3,045. This figure comprises £766 for the delivery of each A-level learning aim, and £747 for each student for the entitlement element of their learning programme.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people are in receipt of education maintenance allowance (EMA) in Birmingham, broken down by constituency; and what the total value of EMA paid to them is.

Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and been paid an education maintenance allowance is available at local education authority level, but not at constituency level. By the end of December 2004 10,622 young people in the Birmingham local education authority area had received one or more EMA payments. In addition 613 young people in the Solihull local education authority area had received one or more EMA payments.
	We do not break down the figures to show specifically how much is spent in each LEA area. The total cost of EMA payments in England, including some January bonuses, at 31 January was £112.3 million.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students received the £100 education maintenance allowance cash bonus in January; how many payments are outstanding; what the total cost of the payments to date; and what estimate has been made of the expected total annual cost of the cash bonus payments.

Ivan Lewis: Based on data available at 1 February, 135,000 young people so far have met all the criteria enabling them to receive the January Bonus. The total cost so far of this element of the EMA scheme is £13.5 million.
	It is not possible to say how many payments are still outstanding. Decisions from colleges and schools will continue to come through. Data shows that of the 274,000 young people enrolled on the EMA system there have been 21,000 decisions not to pay the bonus so far.
	In the first academic year of their post-16 studies, students may be eligible to receive two bonus payments—in January and July. In subsequent years they may be eligible to receive a third bonus in September if they return to study after the summer holiday. For the 2004/05 academic year the estimated cost of the bonuses is around £43 million. For the 2005/06 academic year the estimated cost of the bonuses is around £78 million rising to around £86 million in the 2006/07 academic year when the scheme is fully implemented. These estimates are based on 75 per cent. of EMA students actually meeting all the criteria.

Extended Schools Services

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what support her Department plans to offer schools serving disadvantaged communities to develop extended schools;
	(2)  what will constitute the core service offer of an extended (a) primary and (b) secondary school;
	(3)  what (a) financial and (b) logistical support her Department plans to give to local authorities to work with (i) schools, (ii) local child care providers and (iii)other local partners in delivering the extended schools programme;
	(4)  what measures her Department is taking to ensure that extended schools services are staffed by well-qualified, well-remunerated and well-motivated professionals;
	(5)  if she will commission research into interventions offered for children through school-age child care and extended schools services, including their impact on (a) educational attainment, (b) cognitive, (c) social, emotional and behavioural development and (d) family and community well-being;
	(6)  what funding for (a) capital and (b) revenue has been allocated as part of the Government's 10-Year Strategy for Childcare for delivering the extended schools programme in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools;
	(7)  what funding has been allocated as part of the Government's 10-Year Childcare Strategy for ensuring the sustainability of extended schools services in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Margaret Hodge: Government are committed to the development of extended schools to provide a range of enrichment activities and to support the Childcare Strategy. The Department for Education and Skills' Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners" sets out the Government's expectation for all primary and secondary schools to offer a core set of extended services over time. The core offer for primary schools encompasses a wide range of study support and enrichment activities, parenting support, including family learning and swift referral to a wider range of specialised support services for pupils. Some schools will work with children's centres and other providers to make provision available for younger children. The Government's 10-Year Childcare Strategy sets out the expectation that by 2010 all parents with children aged 5–11 will be offered the guarantee of affordable school based child care between the hours of 8 am to 6 pm, all year round. By 2008, half of all parents of primary aged children will be able to access the child care offer. Provision could be available in a local school, in a neighbouring school or on a different site, provided by the school or in partnership with voluntary and private sector providers, including local child minders.
	The core offer for secondary schools includes study support and enrichment activities, widespread community use of school's facilities, family learning activities, swift and easy referral from every school to a wider range of specialised support services for pupils and a child care guarantee, or youth offer" available between 8 am and 6 pm on weekdays. By 2008, at least a third of all secondary schools sites will be open year round and beyond the school day offering a range of interesting activities for young people. All schools will be doing so by 2010. Provision could be available in a local school, in a neighbouring school or on a different site, provided by the school or in partnership with voluntary and private sector providers, including local child minders. We will also be testing out demand for a formal child care guarantee that is 8 am to 6 pm particularly for children aged 11–12.
	Schools will need to adopt new and innovative approaches to recruiting and deploying staff to ensure there is a staffing structure appropriate to the extended services they wish to deliver. Schools should look at the expertise both within the school and locally to determine who can best deliver each aspect of extended services. This will include working effectively with other services and with the voluntary, private and community sectors. In some cases school staff, such as support staff and teaching assistants, will already have the relevant skills and experience and may want to help deliver some of the services such as child care.
	The Government will be producing a strategy for the children's workforce shortly, following up the vision in Every Child Matters: Change for Children". This will include national and local action to ensure we can attract and retain the right people at all levels in this workforce, including those in extended schools. It will include simpler and more rewarding career pathways, alongside better workforce planning locally and more focused use of investment that is already being made to improve the knowledge and qualifications of people in different roles. We will also promote greater focus on good leadership, management and supervision. Remuneration levels will remain, for most of these workers, a matter between them and their employer.
	The Department have already committed around £50 million over the period 2003–04 to 2004–05 for the development of extended schools, with the money targeting areas serving disadvantaged communities. Just under £44 million of that £50 million was paid via the Standards Fund (including £2.8 million made available by the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit and £1.8 million from the Home Office) and £6.8 million was paid through the Sure Start General Grant. In addition to this £14 million from the Young People's Fund element of the Big Lottery Fund has been made available to 78 local authorities over three years from 2004–05 to support the development of extended schools across their areas. In the financial year 2005–06 my Department will make available just over £107 million to support the development of extended services in both primary and secondary schools in all local authorities. In later years we will provide further sums including funding to support the development of school based child care. An announcement will be made in due course.
	Funding to support the delivery of extended services, including the school age child care offer can be used flexibly by local authorities for both capital and revenue purposes to help overcome barriers that they may face in developing extended services. This can include minor capital works such as refurbishment of reception or play areas, and revenue funding, for example, to support a senior management post that might work across a cluster of schools to develop extended services. The funding is aimed at kick- starting the delivery of extended services but over time, these services should become self—sustaining within existing funding strands or through charging. Schools can charge for some services such as community use of the schools premises and child care. In the case of school based child care, parents, who are eligible, can claim part of the cost through the child care element of the working tax credit. Some services such as study support and other curriculum-related enrichment services will be developed by schools making best use of their existing baselines. Other services such as health and social care should be supported by budgets that support those services.
	My Department is supporting local authorities to work with schools, local child care providers and local partners in delivering the extended schools programme in logistical ways too. In 2002, the DfES published extended schools guidance that provides information and advice on a range of legal, financial and practical issues. The Extended Schools Prospectus, trailed in the Prime Minister's speech to the Daycare Trust on 11 November, will set out the vision for extended schools to schools, local authorities and stakeholders in health, social care and the private and voluntary sectors. It will include a core document that will be supported by a number of on-line know how leaflets that draw on the practical experience of schools already delivering services. These will include case studies, 'how to' advice, 'hints and tips' as well as emerging evidence of the impact on child outcomes. The prospectus and know how pack will be made available on the web, so that new issues can be addressed as they emerge. The prospectus will be launched shortly. The website www.teachernet.gov.uk/extendedschools also features a number of case study examples of schools delivering extended services that schools and other interested parties might use to draw upon key lessons. The DfES has also appointed ContinYou to run The Extended Schools Support Service (TESSS) to support and advise schools and LEAs developing an extended schools approach, and which includes advice on developing links with the community.
	My Department is very committed to research on extended services and child care in schools. We have in progress an evaluation looking at the impacts of full service extended schools on children, their families and communities; a nationally representative survey of schools to measure the prevalence and characteristics of extended services and child care; and an evaluation of an Extended Schools Childcare pilot. Initial findings from these projects will be published by the Department in summer 2005, autumn 2005 and spring 2006 respectively.

Further Education

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the staying-on rate at 16 years was for Greater London, broken down by local education authority, in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The latest published local participation estimates for 16-year-olds in education and training in England are for end 2001 (2001/02 academic year). A consistent historical time series is currently unavailable due to issues with post-Census local population estimates for individual ages for earlier years. Local participation estimates for end 2002 and end 2003 (provisional) are due to be published in March 2005 together with a consistent historic participation time series.
	Participation estimates of education and LSC funded work based learning (WBL) by 16-year-olds in Greater London, broken down by local education authority (LEA), for end 2001 are given in Table 1.
	For Inner London, participation in education and training is only shown as a total because participation estimates for individual Inner London LEAs cannot be estimated reliably. This is due to the considerable numbers of pupils who attend independent schools in an LEA other than the one in which they reside (residence information for independent school pupils is not collated centrally).
	
		Table 1: Participation in education and training of 16-year-olds for Greater London, broken down by LEA, for end 2001 -- Percentage of age group
		
			   Full-time education Education and LSC funded work based learning (WBL) 
		
		
			 Greater London 74 82 
			 Inner London 73 81 
			 Outer London 75 82 
			 Barking and Dagenham 56 63 
			 Barnet 76 82 
			 Bexley 68 78 
			 Brent 77 82 
			 Bromley 77 82 
			 Croydon 77 83 
			 Baling 76 81 
			 Enfield 75 83 
			 Greenwich 68 79 
			 Harrow 85 90 
			 Havering 71 80 
			 Hillingdon 75 84 
			 Hounslow 70 78 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 80 85 
			 Merton 70 77 
			 Redbridge 81 86 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 92 97 
			 Button 76 84 
			 Waltham Forest 78 87 
			 England 71 82 
		
	
	Source:
	Statistical Bulletin, Participation in education and training by 16 and 17 year-olds in each local area in England, end 2001", http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000450/index.shtml

Local Learning and Skills Councils (Expenditure)

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much (a) the national, (b) each regional and (c) each local learning and skills council spent on (i) marketing and (ii) audit in 2003–04.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

National Europass Centre

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the (a) role, (b) budget and (c) staffing level of the National Europass Centre.

Stephen Twigg: In co-ordinating activities at national level the role of the National Europass Centre (NEC) will be to provide information on the various instruments in the Europass Framework, provide a link to the EU Commission's Europass portal and undertake promotion of Europass. Budgets have not yet been allocated but the EU Commission has indicated that the UK might expect up to a maximum of €110,000 (£77,000) in each of 2005 and 2006, on a matched funding basis. An appropriate level of staffing has yet to be identified but will be commensurate with the tasks and functions of the NEC.

Nuclear Energy Degrees

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undergraduate degree courses involving training in atomic energy related skills are available in England.

Kim Howells: holding answer 4 February 2005
	The latest course listing on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website, which covers undergraduate courses only, shows that no universities currently offer undergraduate courses specifically in atomic energy. However, the report commissioned by the Nuclear Safety Directorate in autumn 2001 and the Update On Nuclear Education in British Universities December 2003, identified the following universities which ran postgraduate or undergraduate courses which contained some nuclear content:
	Postgraduate Courses
	University of Bath
	University of Birmingham
	City University 1
	University of Cambridge 1
	UHI Millennium Institute 1
	University of Hull
	Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine 1
	Lancaster University
	University of Liverpool 1
	Loughborough University
	University of Manchester Victoria 1
	Middlesex University 1
	University of Plymouth
	University of Salford
	University of Sheffield
	University of Southampton
	Strathclyde University
	University of Surrey 1
	University of Wales, Swansea
	University College London
	Royal Navy School of Marine and Air Engineering, HMS Sultan (Department of Nuclear Science and Technology) 1 2
	Undergraduate Courses
	University of Bath
	University of Birmingham
	University of Cambridge
	City University
	De Montfort University
	The University of Hull
	Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
	Lancaster University
	University of Leeds
	University of Liverpool
	Loughborough University
	University of Manchester Victoria
	Middlesex University
	University of Plymouth
	University of Salford
	University of Sheffield
	Sheffield Hallam University
	University of Southampton
	University of Strathclyde
	University of Surrey
	University College London
	Royal Navy School of Marine and Air Engineering, HMS Sultan (Department of Nuclear Science and Technology) 1
	1 Identifies Institutions from 2003 update where initiatives have been set up.
	2 The report also included HMS Sultan, which is a Ministry of Defence establishment.
	According to the 2001 report, the number of students on courses containing any nuclear content is around 320 students per year on postgraduate courses and around 1,460 per year on undergraduate courses.
	The 2003 update suggests there has been encouraging signs of expansion in this field.

Nursing Courses

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the drop-out rate for nursing courses has been in each year since 1997, broken down by teaching institution.

Kim Howells: holding answer 4 February 2005
	Figures are not held centrally. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publish non-completion rates of students on full-time undergraduate courses in 'Performance Indicators in Higher Education', but these are not calculated for individual subjects, or courses.

Stockton, South

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the amount of funding per pupil in (a) primary and (b) secondary education has changed in the constituency of Stockton South since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is produced according to local education authority areas rather than districts within an area. Stockton South is a constituency in Stockton-on-Tees. The following table therefore shows the per pupil figures in real terms for Stockton-on-Tees.
	
		Average funding per pupil, Stockton-on-Tees
		
			  Figures in real terms-1997–98 to 2004–05 
			  Primary (3–10 year-olds) (£) Year-on-year percentage change Secondary (11–15 year-olds) (£) Year-on-year percentage change 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,200  3,170  
			 1998–99 2,290 4 3,220 2 
			 1999–2000 2,450 7 3,390 5 
			 2000–01 2,720 11 3,740 10 
			 2001–02 2,930 8 4,000 7 
			 2002–03 3,060 4 4,030 1 
			 2003–04 3,290 8 4,210 4 
			 2004–05 3,380 3 4,320 3 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Price Base: Real terms at 2003–04 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 September 2004.
	2.Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education SSA/EFS settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EPS and LSC.
	3.Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 3–10 and 11–15 and exclude EM As and grants not allocated at LEA level.
	4.The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC 3-year-old maintained pupils and estimated 3–4 year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.
	5.Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	6.Status: 2004–05 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.

Teachers

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures her Department has introduced to increase the efficiency of the system for dealing with allegations of abuse against teachers.

Stephen Twigg: In 2001, following concerns about the length of time taken to deal with allegations, my Department established a network of 25 co-ordinators, each responsible for a cluster of LEAs, located within existing police force boundaries. The co-ordinators' priority is to negotiate and agree arrangements to speed up the handling of allegations of abuse against teachers and other school-based staff, but they also have a strategic role in this area and in relation to child protection procedures generally.
	In addition my officials have worked closely with the National Employers Organisation for School Teachers (NEOST) and the teacher unions to revise and update the Joint NEOST/Teacher Union Guidance on Education Staff and Child Protection: Staff Facing an Allegation of Abuse" and that updated guidance was published and distributed by NEOST and the teacher organisations in September 2002.

Teachers

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to ensure that teachers are protected from false allegations of abuse by pupils.

Stephen Twigg: My Department is currently consulting on an improved process for handling allegations against teachers and other school-based staff. The proposals include target timescales; local panels for schools to use to carry out independent disciplinary investigations; new procedures to improve the management of cases and liaison between schools, local authorities, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and other agencies to ensure that cases are dealt with quickly, fairly and consistently. It also takes account of advice by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) that anyone under investigation should not be named until they are charged with an offence.

Teachers

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the guidelines for protecting teachers accused of abuse by pupils.

Stephen Twigg: My officials are closely involved in monitoring the effectiveness of the current arrangements for handling allegations of abuse against teachers. The current guidelines for staff facing allegations of abuse were produced by the National Employers Organisation for School Teachers (NEOST) and the teacher unions, with the involvement of my officials. The national network of Investigation Referral Support Co-ordinators, which is funded by my Department, is responsible for improving practice and procedure in dealing with allegations and has also produced guidance on this issue.

Teachers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants there were in each local education authority in Greater London in each of the last seven years.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested has been published in the Statistics of Education School Workforce in England Volume, 2004 edition published on 27 January 2005, a copy of which will be placed in the House of Commons Library. Annex table A2 gives the number of teachers in service in each local education authority and table A9 the number of teaching assistants. The publication is also available at the following URL: www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgatewav/DB/VOL/v000554/index.shtml

Teachers

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers there were in North Durham in (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Twigg: The following table shows the full time equivalent number of regular teachers employed in maintained nursery, primary, secondary and maintained and non-maintained special schools in North Durham constituency in January 1997, 2001 and 2004, the latest information available.
	
		Full-time equivalent number of regular teachers in North Durham constituency
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 660 
			 2001 690 
			 2004 700 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual School Census

Top-up Fees

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her policy is on the charging of top-up fees to students who leave school in 2005 and take a gap year, but change the course that they will be taking during that gap year.

Kim Howells: In order to qualify for the statutory exemption from higher variable fees from 2006/07, a student taking a gap year in 2005/06 must have received an offer of a place on a university course by 1 August 2005. If they change their mind about the course they want to do, whether they will be charged higher variable fees will depend on whether the subject matter of the course to which they wish to change is largely the same as the course for which they originally applied. If the university considers that the subject matter of the new course is essentially the same as the one for which the student originally applied they will continue to qualify for the statutory exemption. If they do not consider this to be so, the student will no longer qualify.

University Funding

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding her Department has provided for (a) teaching, (b) research and (c) staff development since 1996–97 for (i) Newcastle and (ii)Northumbria universities.

Kim Howells: The latest information is given in the tables.
	
		Recurrent funding for university of Newcastle-upon-Tyne(14) -- £000
		
			  Recurrent funds for teaching and research Of which:  TeachingResearch Funds for rewarding and developing staff(15) 
		
		
			 1997–98 52,331 34,009 18,322 — 
			 1998–99 57,641 36,710 20,930 — 
			 1999–2000 59,033 38,226 20,807 — 
			 2000–01 61,205 40,334 20,871 — 
			 2001–02 65,404 42,672 21,503 1,229 
			 2002–03 69,945 45,177 22,885 1,884 
			 2003–04 75,475 46,718 25,948 2,809 
			 2004–05 81,276 53,752 27,524 — 
		
	
	
		Recurrent funding for university of Northumbria(14) -- £000
		
			  Recurrent funds for teaching and research Of which:  TeachingResearch Funds for rewarding and developing staff(15) 
		
		
			 1997–98 33,517 32,380 1,137 — 
			 1998–99 37,942 36,577 1,365 — 
			 1999–2000 38,995 37,510 1,485 — 
			 2000–01 39,498 37,982 1,515 — 
			 2001–02 41,756 39,294 1,553 909 
			 2002–03 43,689 41,083 1,266 1,339 
			 2003–04 46,839 43,930 895 2,015 
			 2004–05 51,206 50,257 949 — 
		
	
	(14)Funding figures show HEFCE recurrent grant for teaching and research only. They exclude other HEFCE grants such as for capital and other special initiatives. They also exclude funding from other public sources, such as the SLC, NHS, TTA, LSC, research councils etc.
	(15)Funding for rewarding and developing staff was first allocated for 2001–02 and transferred into teaching grant in 2004–05.
	Source:
	HEFCE

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Asian Tsunami

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the UK will provide to the South East Asia region in establishing a tsunami early warning system.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: There is strong political will, both within the Indian Ocean region and internationally, to establish a tsunami Early Warning System in the Indian Ocean. This will involve countries in South East Asia and around the Indian Ocean working together to produce a workable and well co-ordinated system, building on those components already in place. The immediate need is for the countries in the region to determine the nature and organisation of the system they want.
	A recent meeting organised by the Thai Government in Phuket reached a strong consensus on some important features of an early warning system for the region. It should: be designed and owned by countries in the region; build on mechanisms that already exist; and warn against multiple hazards, such as tropical storms and storm surges as well as tsunamis. It was also agreed that the UN should co-ordinate the development of the system and that investment should focus, not just on highly technical solutions, but on educating, and communicating any warning to, coastal communities.
	The UK stands ready, if needed, to provide support to an early warning system once countries of the region have made progress on the design of a system. However, if there are other donors willing to provide all the finance needed—as looks likely—the UK is also willing to step aside and focus its resources on other equally important but less well funded measures to reduce the impact of disasters. Chief among these is the need to help developing countries of the region build on and enhance their own capacity to manage and reduce their risk to disasters.

Asian Tsunami

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support he plans to give to allow farmers in places affected by the tsunami to start farming again, and in particular to begin re-stocking.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Farmers have been badly affected by the tsunami and DFID is committed to rebuilding their livelihoods. Of the £75 million allocation for emergency relief and first stage recovery, about 20 per cent. has been earmarked for immediate support to rebuilding farming and fishing communities' livelihoods through relevant UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGO's). I am conscious of the need to build on local capacity through encouraging targeted regeneration of local agricultural systems. I recognise the need to reach as many affected people from the region as possible and to enable them to return to productive work.
	In Indonesia, we shall provide funds through United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to co-ordinate a broad-based livelihood recovery programme in rural areas of Aceh. This will include, among other initiatives, small grants to farmers, which will be disbursed by local organisations working with them. The grants are designed to be flexible and respond to needs, which for many, will involve restocking. We support a similar strategy for Sri Lanka and the Maldives through a regional programme led by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
	International NGO's are, on the whole, well funded, but we add support where there are clear needs. In southern India and Sri Lanka, for instance, we have recently approved five projects that will provide immediate support to affected communities totalling approximately £1.8 million. These projects include livelihood recovery activities and focus on the needs of fishing communities, farmers, agricultural workers and other livelihood groups. One of these projects includes land reclamation and desalination activities.
	As for our contribution to long-term recovery, we intend to respond to needs assessed by competent agencies and to fund requests by affected countries, in partnership with other donors, the UN and the International banks, namely the World Bank and Asian Development bank.

Brazil

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) financial assistance, (b) logistical assistance and (c) assistance in kind has been provided to Engineers Without Borders UK by his Department for the programme in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil with the Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research Center since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has not provided direct funding for the work of Engineers Without Borders with the Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research Center (ARRC) in Brazil Minas Gerais. However, DFID has co-financed the Rain Forest Trust Fund (RFT Fund) which has supported civil society organisations in the Atlantic Rain Forest. DFID provided £1.5 million to the RFT in the early 1990s as part of the $58 million support by G7 donors. The RFTs support for civil society networks included $800,000 to Rede Mata Atla(r)ntica (RMA), a non-governmental network seeking to conserve the Atlantic Rain Forest. The Society of Friends of Iracambi, who are responsible for maintaining the Iracambi ARRC, are a member of the RMA.

Guyana

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries there have been as a result of the recent flooding in Guyana.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: As at 2 February 2005 there had been 6 reported deaths associated with the floods. It is, however, expected that deaths will increase as a result of poor sanitation and water-borne or water related illnesses. Education advisories (information notices put out by a Guyana government information service) are informing communities on how to reduce health risks.
	The Government of Guyana's Ministry of Health and the Pan-American Health Organisation's (PAHO) country team are currently developing a database to monitor and track outbreaks of disease. This will allow appropriate health safeguard measures to be put in place, and rapid health responses to be mobilised and should help avoid epidemics. The main concern at the moment is over an increased incidence of leptospirosis, which is a bacterial disease caused by exposure to water contaminated by infected animals.
	DFID's relief interventions will be focused on the water and sanitation and public health aspects. Through our support to both PAHO (£57,000) and the United Nations Children's Fund (£80,000), we will be directly contributing to ensuring safe and clean drinking water is available to approximately 40,000 children and appropriate sanitation and environmental health initiatives are in place for some 195,000 people/35,000 households.
	The UK makes a further contribution to the water and sanitation aspects of the relief programme through the European Community Humanitarian Assistance (ECHO). ECHO is providing €100,000 or approximately £69,000 1 of which UK share at 18 per cent. is £12,420, to PAHO for medical supplies. ECHO is also providing €200,000, approximately £138,000 2 of which UK share at 18 per cent. is £24,840, to Oxfam for water and sanitation work.
	1 Using prevailing exchange rate of €1: £0.69 on February 2005
	2 As above

HIV/AIDS (Children)

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  whether his Department's field offices covering countries with large numbers of orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS will be producing (a) detailed action plans and (b) revised country assistance plans setting out how they will be spending the £123 million committed for services to this group;
	(2)  how the £123 million committed by the UK Government for responding to the needs of orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS in Africa will be allocated between his Department's field offices in different countries.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: It is important that countries have detailed action plans to address AIDS. DFID country offices make bilateral spending decisions based on countries' articulated priorities as identified through national strategies and detailed action plans which include support to orphans and vulnerable children. These plans are being developed at national level (often with UNICEF support), to create a supportive environment for children's access to health and education, community services and basic needs.
	In responding to these action plans, DFID strongly supports the Three Ones" approach: one strategic framework, one AIDS authority and one monitoring system. Thus DFID's own country assistance plans (CAPS) are designed to support the implementation of the Three Ones". All CAPS will reflect and report AIDS initiatives, indicating where more needs to be done. DFID will monitor all CAPS with reports going to the Management Board.

Leasing

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: No new equipment leasing arrangements were entered into in the UK, in the last two years. Existing arrangements that were already in place, for photocopying equipment, cost £54,737 in 2002–03 and £41,798 in 2003–04.
	Information on leasing arrangements in our overseas offices is not centrally available and could not be produced without incurring disproportionate cost.

Middle East

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian consequences of the confiscation of land in the West Bank from Palestinians following the application of the Absentee Property Law in East Jerusalem.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Government expressed their concern over Israel's application of the Absentee Property Law in East Jerusalem with the Government of Israel. We now welcome the Israeli Attorney General's announcement on 1 February that the application of this law in East Jerusalem is unlawful. We have not made a specific assessment of the humanitarian consequences of the law's application to date, but are investigating whether or not it has deprived any Palestinians of their land in East Jerusalem.

Namibia

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid has been given by the United Kingdom to Namibia in each of the last three years.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: UK bilateral assistance to Namibia was worth £2.0 million in 2001–02; £2.2 million in 2002–03; and £1.4 million in 2003–04, the last year for which figures are available. The focus of DFID's bilateral programme in Namibia is on developing livelihoods for the poor in the centre and north of the country.

Nigeria

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) financial assistance, (b) logistical assistance and (c) assistance in kind has been provided to Engineers Without Borders UK by his Department for the programme in the Dadiya region of Nigeria with Savanna Conservation Nigeria and Nakruda since its inception; what assessment his Department has undertaken of the (i)economic, (ii) social and (iii) humanitarian impact of the programme; what assessment his Department has made of the long-term viability of the programme; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID is aware of the good work undertaken by Engineers without Borders (EWB) UK. Initiatives such as placements to expose engineering students to work in developing countries while making a positive impact on peoples' lives, and the undertaking of small-scale research projects are welcomed. However, DFID has not provided funding for EWB centrally or for its work with the Savanna Conservation Nigeria and Nakruda programme in Nigeria and so has not undertaken any assessments of its activities or long term viability.

Queen's Flight

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  on how many occasions departmental Ministers have used the Queen's Flight in each of the past five years;
	(2)  how much money his Department has spent on chartering aircraft in each of the past five years.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Travel by Ministers makes clear that special flights may be authorised when a scheduled service is not available, or when it is essential to travel by air, but the requirements of official or parliamentary business or security considerations or urgency preclude the journey being made by a scheduled service. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The list published in 1999 covers the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999. Where RAF/Private Charter aircraft are used this is shown in the list. The Government has also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2004–05 will be published in due course.
	All Ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code" and Travel by Ministers".

Staff Training

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the costs of departmental (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department were in each year since 1997.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold details of all of these costs centrally. The format the costs are held in means we are unable to differentiate between training days and those development days held away from the Department. As far as we can tell from our records, in the last seven years the centrally reported spending on training and conferences, including retreats and away-days and related costs was as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year Training and conferences (£ million) 
		
		
			 2003–04 5.22 
			 2002–03 2.28 
			 2001–02 1.72 
			 2000–01 1.33 
			 1999–2000 1.10 
			 1998–99 0.68 
			 1997–98 0.97 
		
	
	The way we centrally gathered information on costs changed in 2003 which accounts for a substantial amount of the increase between 2002–03 and 2003–04.
	DFID Departments do not necessarily centrally report on all training and development activity so there may be under reporting in the above figures.
	DFID is committed to ensuring staff have the right skills and expertise to meet our commitment to the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals.

Water Shortage

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of its progress in combating the world's impending water shortage, with specific regard to the United Nation's 2003 prediction that by 2050, 7billion people in 60 countries will be without sufficient water; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The sustainable and integrated management of land and water resources is critical to combating increasing water shortages. The UK agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg the target for all countries to develop Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Efficiency plans by 2005, with support to be provided for developing countries. DFID's approach to implementing this target is set out in the Water Action Plan (March 2004), which will be reviewed regularly.
	DFID provides significant support to the Global Water Partnership (GWP), which is an umbrella organisation that supports development of national water resource management plans in key partner countries. GWP is also the key organisation coordinating policy and monitoring progress at the international level. A recent survey carried out by GWP has suggested that around 40 per cent. of countries have yet to make progress on developing Integrated Water Resources Management plans and only 20 per cent. of countries are likely to meet the 2005 target.
	DFID also support the Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment" reports of the UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme which include water availability data, and the EU Water Initiative which includes a water resource management component. DFID has supported the UNESCO led World Water Assessment Programme from its outset in mid-2000. This is an effective long-term programme providing assessment, monitoring and reporting of the status of the world's water. These reviews assist in developing frameworks for better assessment, allocation and monitoring of water use, particularly in the water scarce areas.

TREASURY

Alcohol-related Deaths

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of how many deaths in (a) Greater London and (b) North Southwark and Bermondsey alcohol was the primary cause in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Simon Hughes, dated 8 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking in respect of how many deaths in (a)Greater London and (b) North Southwark and Bermondsey alcohol was the primary cause in each of the last five years. (214332)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2003. The table below shows the numbers of deaths among residents of Greater London and North Southwark and Bermondsey parliamentary constituency where the underlying cause of death indicated a condition directly related to alcohol use in the years 1999 to 2003.
	
		Alcohol-related deaths(16) for Greater London and North Southwark and Bermondsey parliamentary constituency(17) 1999 to 2003(18) -- Number of deaths
		
			   Greater London North Southwark and Bermondsey 
		
		
			 1999 844 11 
			 2000 827 18 
			 2001 788 15 
			 2002 817 13 
			 2003 847 16 
		
	
	(16)For the years 1999–2000 the cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9). The codes used by ONS to define alcohol-related deaths are listed as follows:
	291—Alcohol psychoses
	303—Alcohol dependence syndrome
	305.0—Non-dependent abuse of alcohol
	425.5—Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
	571—Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
	E860—Accidental poisoning by alcohol
	For the years 2001–03 the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) was used. To maintain comparability with earlier years the following codes were used:
	F10—Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
	I42.6—Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
	K70—Alcoholic liver disease
	K73—Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified
	K74—Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver
	X45—Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol
	The selection of codes to define alcohol-related deaths is described in:
	Baker A and Rooney C (2003). Recent trends in alcohol-related mortality, and the impact of ICD-10 on the monitoring of these deaths in England and Wales. Health Statistics Quarterly" 17, pp 5–14.
	(17)Usual residents of these areas.
	(18)Deaths occurring in each calendar year.

ATM Charges

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact of ATM charges on basic bank account customers;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the effects of charging for use of cash machines in public places;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact of ATM charges on (a) financial inclusion and (b) low income groups.

Stephen Timms: No such assessment has been made.

Care Homes (VAT)

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will conduct an investigation into what medical aids and other essential household items should be available to nursing and residential homes free of VAT.

Dawn Primarolo: VAT is a broad based tax on consumer expenditure generally. Nursing and residential homes, like any other businesses, incur VAT on many of the purchases that they make.
	However, charitable nursing and residential homes for disabled people benefit from a number of specific VAT zero rates on their purchases, including medicinal products, medical equipment and certain equipment for disabled people. Under our long-standing agreements with our European partners, while we are permitted to keep our existing zero rates we may not extend them or introduce new ones.

Child Deaths

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children have died by drowning in each of the past five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Hugh Robertson, dated 8 February 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many children have died by drowning in each of the past five years. I am replying in his absence. (215278)
	The most recently available information is for deaths in 2003. Figures for deaths due to drowning among children aged 0 to 15 are shown in the table below for each year from 1999 to 2003.
	
		Number of deaths from drowning(19) among children aged under 16, England and Wales, 1999 to 2003(20)
		
			  Number of deaths 
		
		
			 1999 49 
			 2000 35 
			 2001 30 
			 2002 31 
			 2003 33 
		
	
	(19)Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 994.1 for the years 1999 and 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T75.1 from 2001 onwards.
	(20)Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.

Child Tax Credit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many child tax credit appeal cases have beenreceived in each month since the inception of tax credits;
	(2)  how many people in each region have appealed against a decision on a child tax credit application since introduction of the credit.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.

Child Tax Credit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average timescale is for a child tax credit appeal, broken down by region.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the average time to settle a child tax credit appeal by region is not available. The Inland Revenue aims to acknowledge receipt of an appeal against a tax credits decision within two working days.
	Where possible the Department aims to settle an appeal by agreement with the appellant.
	Where the Inland Revenue cannot settle the appeal by agreement, it is submitted to The Appeals Service who aim to consider the appeal within 12 weeks of receipt of the submission currently achieving less than eight weeks.

Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter of 5 January from the hon. Member for Northavon, regarding the tax credit entitlement of a constituent, Ms. Hewitt.

Dawn Primarolo: I will write to the hon. Member shortly about his constituent's tax credits entitlement.

Council Tax (Braintree)

Alan Hurst: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties there were in each council tax band in each of the Witham wards of Braintree district council in 2004–05.

Dawn Primarolo: The Listing Officer, of the Valuation Office Agency, does not hold the banding records for each of the Witham wards individually. The number of dwellings in each council tax band for properties in the Braintree district council area with an address containing a Witham postal district, in 2004–05, is:
	
		
			 Band Number 
		
		
			 A 971 
			 B 5,167 
			 C 3,423 
			 D 1,099 
			 E 734 
			 F 391 
			 G 183 
			 H 8

Departmental Policies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Pendle constituency, the effects on Pendle of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Stephen Timms: The Government have put in place a broad programme of both macroeconomic and microeconomic reform since our election in 1997 designed to improve the economic performance of all parts of the UK. Since these policies were implemented the economic performance of the Pendle constituency has improved considerably. For example, since May 1997, claimant unemployment has fallen by 47 per cent., and both long-term unemployment and long-term youth unemployment have fallen by 86 per cent. and 88 per cent. receptivity.
	The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood.statistics. gov.uk./.

Stockton, South

Dari Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in each ward of Stockton, South claim (a) pension credit and (b) working tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: Data from the Department for Work and Pensions shows that the number of households in receipt of pension credit in each ward of Stockton, South at 31 December 2004 were as follows:
	
		
			 Ward (Stockton, South) Households in receipt of pension credit 
		
		
			 Bishopsgarth 310 
			 Egglescliffe 220 
			 Elm Tree 250 
			 Fairfield 195 
			 Grangefield 220 
			 Hartburn 165 
			 Ingleby Barwick 145 
			 Mandale 410 
			 Parkfield 420 
			 Preston 110 
			 Stainsby 360 
			 Victoria 440 
			 Village 385 
			 Yarm 285 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Source: IAD Information Centre, Department for Work and Pensions.
	2.All wards based on Census Wards current at April 2003.
	3.Benefit counts at ward level are rounded to a multiple of five to protect the confidentiality of individual claimants.
	Estimates of the number of in-work families in each constituency receiving tax credits are published in Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses. December 2004". This can be found on the Inland Revenue website, at: www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm.
	Estimates for April 2005 will be published in April or May 2005.
	Estimates for smaller areas are not currently available.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Customs Co-operation Sub-committee—EEC-Albania met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The EC/Albania Working Party on Customs and Taxation meets approximately once a year, in either Brussels or Tirana. The last three meetings were in Tirana (October 2002), Brussels (February 2004) and Tirana (January 2005). The next meeting is provisionally scheduled for the beginning of 2006 in Brussels. The Commission act on behalf of the EC. Member states can participate as observers, but none has attended. The Commission debriefs the Council Working Group after each meeting.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Customs Co-operation Subcommittee-EEC-Romania met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: One meeting took place under the Italian Presidency in September 2003 in Brussels and one was held in Bucharest under the Dutch Presidency in September 2004. No UK Government expert attended either meeting.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Customs Cooperation Subcommittee-EEC-Russia met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Only one meeting was held under the presidencies in question. This was in Moscow in October 2003. No Government expert was in attendance.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee on statistics relating to the trading of goods with non-member countries met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee on statistics relating to the trading of goods between member states met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Committee on Statistics relating to the trading of goods with non-member countries and the Committee on Statistics relating to the trading of goods with member states meet as a single Committee. Meetings were held in Luxembourg on the following dates:
	
		
			  Date 
		
		
			 Italian presidency 10–11 November 2003 
			 Irish presidency 10–11 March 2004 
			  14–15 June 2004 
			 Dutch presidency 24–25 November 2004 
		
	
	The UK was represented by officials from HM Customs and Excise.

Euro

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials have worked on the changeover planfor British euro membership since 9 June 2003; how many officials' man-hours were spent on the plan; what cost has been incurred; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: As part of the policy of prepare and decide", the Government are committed to ensuring that the UK retains a genuine option to join the single currency if that is what the Government, Parliament and the people in a referendum decide. The Euro Preparations Unit in the Treasury works with stakeholders from across the economy to ensure that euro preparations are at an appropriate level. Information on the number of officials and working hours spent on the third Outline National Changeover Plan" published in June 2003 cannot be separately identified. The costs are met from within the Treasury's three-year departmental expenditure limits.

Further Education

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce the level at which further education colleges pay VAT to the level applied to the school sector.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 February 2005, Official Report, column 762W, to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr.Lidington).

Greater London Jobs

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of jobs created in the Greater London area as a result of public investment in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 8 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about jobs created in the Greater London area resulting from public investment. (214372)
	While statistics of jobs created as a result of public investment are not available, ONS's published workforce jobs statistics enable comparisons to be made of net changes, from year to year, in the total number of jobs.
	The attached table shows the numbers of jobs and changes in jobs for the Greater London area, from September 1999 to September 2004, the latest period available.
	No information is available about the extent to which the changes in jobs in Greater London result from public investment.
	
		Number of civilian work force jobs and change in numbers of jobs in the Greater London area: 1999 to 2004 -- Thousand
		
			  Civilian work force jobs1, 2 
		
		
			 Number of jobs  
			 1999 4,349 
			 2000 4,539 
			 2001 4,555 
			 2002 4,435 
			 2003 4,497 
			 2004 4,485 
			 Change(23) in number of jobs  
			 2000 191 
			 2001 15 
			 2002 -120 
			 2003 62 
			 2004 -12 
		
	
	(21)Estimates are not seasonally adjusted.
	(22)Estimates of civilian work force jobs include self-employed jobs and Government supported trainees. Estimates exclude jobs in the armed forces.
	(23)The 2000 to 2004 change has been rounded to the nearest thousand separately from rounded levels for 1999 and 2004.
	Source:
	ONS Work force jobs series

Home Reversions

David Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce legislation to bring home reversions under the regulation of the Financial Services Authority.

Stephen Timms: The Government supports my hon. Friend's ten-minute rule Bill entitled 'Regulation of Financial Services (Land Transactions)' which was introduced to the House on 26 January 2005. This will enable activities relating to certain arrangements involving the acquisition or disposal of land to be regulated under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), which include home reversion schemes.
	If the Bill does not achieve Royal Assent this Session, the Treasury intends to bring forward legislation to change FSMA as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Household Incomes

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the percentage change in household net income has been for each decade over each of the past 30 years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 8 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the percentage change in household net income has been in each decade over each of the past 30 years. (214018)
	The information requested is shown in the table below. The household net income series used in the calculations is the national accounts series for real disposable income of the combined household and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sectors, i.e. total income less deductions, e.g. taxes. The data are chained volume measures (i.e. the effect of price changes is excluded) and are referenced on the year 2001.
	The accounts for the household and NPISH sectors are currently combined, as separate estimates are not available.
	
		Real households' disposable income and percentage changes over 10-year periods 1973–83, 1983–93 and 1993–2003
		
			  Real households' disposable income (chained volume measure referenced on year 2001) (£ million)   Percentage change over period 
		
		
			 1973 337,375 — 
			 1983 385,704 14 
			 1993 549,995 43 
			 2003 728,647 32

Income Tax

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated loss of revenue would be if the 10 per cent. band of income tax were to be increased by (a) £1,000, (b) £2,000 and (c) £3,000.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to table 1.6 Direct effects of illustrative tax changes" on the Inland Revenue website www.ir.gov.uk/stats/tax expenditures/table1–6.xls
	The figures exclude any estimate of behavioural response to the tax change.

Income Tax

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated loss of revenue would be if the lower threshold for income tax were increased by (a) £1,000, (b) £2,000 and (c) £3,000; and how many existing taxpayers would no longer pay income tax in each case.

Dawn Primarolo: The requested information is contained in the following table:
	
		Numbers: millions; Amounts: billion
		
			2004–05Cost Number of taxpayers taken out of income tax 
		
		
			 (a) Increase Personal Allowances by £1,000 6.6 1.8 
			 (b) Increase Personal Allowances by £2,000 12.7 3.4 
			 (c) Increase Personal Allowances by £3,000 18.6 4.9 
		
	
	Notes:
	The figures represent increases to the personal allowance and personal allowances for individuals aged 65 to 74 and 75 or over.
	The estimates are based upon the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) 2002–03 and December 2004 Pre Budget assumptions.

Income Tax

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated yield arising from levying income tax at a rate of 50 per cent. on all taxable incomes in excess of £50,000 per annum would be.

Dawn Primarolo: Comprehensive information on income tax has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The income tax information is based upon the 2002–03 Survey of Personal Incomes and December 2004 pre-Budget assumptions and excludes any estimate of behavioural response to the tax change.

Inland Revenue

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2004, Official Report, column 987W, on Inland Revenue informers, when the Inland Revenue first categorised members of the public assisting them as informers or covert human intelligence sources; and what criteria the Inland Revenue uses to determine whether a member of the public assisting it is a covert human intelligence source rather than an informer.

Dawn Primarolo: Members of the public who voluntarily supply information to the Inland Revenue, concerning the tax affairs of others are by definition informers. Section 26 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2002 sets out the legal definition of a Covert Human Intelligence Source. The Inland Revenue complies with this legislation, and the supporting Codes of Practice, in dealing with Covert Sources.

Life Expectancy

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the life expectancy of (a) men and (b) women in (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Chorley was in (A) 1980–89, (B) 1990–99 and (C) 2004.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 8 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the life expectancy of (a) men and (b) women in (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Chorley was in (A) 1980–1989, (B) 1990–99 and (C) 2004. (214004)
	Figures for life expectancy at birth for English regions and local authorities are published annually by ONS based on three-year rolling averages. These were first calculated for the period 1991–1993 and the most recent available data are for 2001–2003. Figures for these two periods, and for 1994–1996 and 1997–1999, are provided in the table below for the North West and Chorley. Figures are not readily available for current or former counties, such as Lancashire. No sub-national life expectancy figures are available for time periods before 1991–1993, because of constitutional and boundary changes to administrative areas during the 1990s.
	
		Life expectancy at birth (years) for the north west Government office region and Chorley local authority, 1991–93 to 2001–03
		
			  Male Female 
		
		
			 North west   
			 1991–93 72.4 77.9 
			 1994–96 73.1 78.5 
			 1997–99 73.6 78.6 
			 2001–03 74.8 79.5 
			 Chorley   
			 1991–93 73.1 78.2 
			 1994–96 74.3 79.3 
			 1997–99 74.1 79.2 
			 2001–03 76.3 79.9

North Durham

Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have benefited from the minimum wage in North Durham since its inception.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Kevan Jones, dated 8 February 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people have benefited from the minimum wage in North Durham since its inception. Iam replying on his behalf. (214678)
	Estimates for the number of jobs paid below the minimum wage for Parliamentary Constituencies are not available. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculates estimates of the number of jobs paid less than national minimum wage rates for theUnited Kingdom and Government Office Regions. A guide to measuring low pay and associated articles and data can be found on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=5837&Pos=1&ColRank=1&Rank=272

North Durham

Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children in North Durham will benefit from new child trust fund.

Stephen Timms: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Martin Linton) on 30 November 2004, Official Report, columns 87–88W. All children born and living in the UK since 1 September 2002 whose families receive child benefit will be eligible for the child trust fund.

Pensioner Concessions

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide the necessary funding to the relevant Government Department to permit the provision of (a) free television licences and (b) free off peak travel to all pensioners; and if he will estimate the cost of making each such provision in each of the next three years.

Stephen Timms: The Chancellor announced the introduction of free TV licences for those over 75 in his 2000 pre-Budget report and these have been available since November 2000. 3.4 million pensioner households benefit.
	The Transport Act 2000 brought in the statutory minimum requirement for local authority concessionary fares to ensure that older and disabled people are entitled to half fares or better on their local bus services, with no additional charge being levied for the pass. Anything provided above the statutory minimum is a matter for local authorities.
	There are no current plans to extend these measures and no detailed estimates have been made of the likely costs.

Public Sector Staff

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Government have made of the number of people who work in the public sector.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Nicholas Soames, dated 8 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the number of people who work in the public sector. (214012)
	The most recent public sector figures published by the Office for National Statistics on the basis of National Accounts definitions were published in the article 'Jobs in the public sector: mid -2003' in the July 2004 issue of 'Labour Market Trends'.
	Drawing upon this source, the estimated number of UK jobs in the public sector in June 2003 was 5,454,000 jobs.

Stamp Duty

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the (a) total costs and (b) total benefits to date of the modernisation of stamp duty; and whether those costs and benefits are in line with the estimates made in the regulatory impact assessment published in March 2004.

Dawn Primarolo: The latest estimate of the actual cost of MSD, in 2003–04, is £26.3 million, including pre- and post-implementation IT costs and the various business change costs. This is in line with the costs of £25 million to £30 million estimated in the Regulatory Impact Assessment.
	We currently estimate that yield achieved in 2004–05 was £225 million higher than 2003–04 as a result of the modernisation of stamp duty. This is consistent with the £210 million increase in yield between 2003–04 and 2004–05 forecast as a result of the measures, as shown in Table A2.1 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report 2003.

Tax Credits

Mr. Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of what proportion of those in receipt of tax credits in (a) Wirral South and (b) the UK have been subject to overpayment demands.

Dawn Primarolo: Details of how overpayments are recovered are provided in the Inland Revenue's Code of Practice 26 What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit." Wherever practical overpayments are recovered out of future tax credit payments. Where an award of tax credits has ceased and there remains an overpayment to be recovered, the Inland Revenue issues claimants with a 'Notice to Pay'. The claimant has the option to choose to pay back an overpayment over 12months.
	Information on the number of households in Wirral South sent notices to pay is not available.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of cases of official error in the payment of tax credits in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; how many of these cases are still awaiting repayment of monies due from the Inland Revenue; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: By end December 2004 about 78,000 households had returned Form TC846, or had otherwise been recorded as requesting the write-off of their overpayments on grounds of official error. About 41,000 requests had been decided by that date, and about 1,600 families had their overpayments written off for that reason. That left 37,000 cases yet to be decided. Whether these remaining cases have their overpayment written off on the grounds of official error will depend upon the circumstances of each individual case.
	Details of when an overpayment may be written off can be found Code of Practice 26 'What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?'

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the Inland Revenue's percentage accuracy rate for processing and calculating tax credit awards for 2003–04; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Tom Levitt), on 26 January 2005, Official Report, column 407W.
	The Department expects the level of processing accuracy in the current year to be markedly better than last year, in line with its target to decide 90 per cent. of tax credit claims, changes and renewals accurately. It will publish its performance against the current year's target in its Annual Report in due course.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the cost of managing and payingall tax credits in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2003–04 and (d) 2004–05; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For the cost of managing and paying working families' and disabled person's tax credits in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 I refer the hon. Member to page 101 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2003. This can be found on the Inland Revenue web site, at www.ir.gov.uk/pdfs/report2003.pdf.
	For the cost of managing and paying working and child tax credits in (c) 2003–04 I refer the hon. Member to page 104 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report and Accounts for that year. This can be found on the Inland Revenue web site, at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/pdfs/report2004.pdf.
	The actual cost for (d) 2004–05 will appear in the Annual Report for that year.

Tax Credits

John Cummings: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people received (a) working family tax credits and (b) child tax credits in Easington constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of in-work families receiving tax credits (broken down by families with and without children) in each constituency appear in Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses, December 2004." This can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.

Tax Credits

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Warrington, North are claiming tax credits; and what the average award for each creditis.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of in-work families receiving tax credits (broken down by families with and without children) in each constituency appear in Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses." This can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/ stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.
	Information on the average value of awards is not available.

Taxable Incomes

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers received taxable incomes in excess of £50,000 in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to table 3.3 'Distribution of total income before and after tax, 1998–99 to 2004–05' on the Inland Revenue website www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/table3_3_december04.xls
	The table shows the number of income taxpayers with total income of £50,000 or more.

Unemployment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of unemployment was in North Durham in (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Kevan Jones, dated 8 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (214194)
	Table 1 gives estimates of the numbers of unemployed people, who were resident in the North Durham Parliamentary Constituency, for the twelve month periods ending in February 1997, February 2001 and February 2004.
	These estimates from Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	The Office for National Statistics also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for local areas. Table 2 gives the annual average number of claimants resident in the North Durham constituency for the year 1997, 2001 and 2004.
	
		Table 1: Unemployed people resident in North Durham parliamentary constituency
		
			 12 months ending February each year Number 
		
		
			 1997 3,000 
			 2001 2,000 
			 2004 3,000 
		
	
	Note:
	These estimates are based on very small sample sizes and are subject to a high degree of sampling variability. Changes from year to year, especially, should be treated with caution.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey
	
		Table 2: JSA claimants resident in the North Durham constituency
		
			 Annual averages Claimants 
		
		
			 1997 2,583 
			 2001 1,604 
			 2004 1,071 
		
	
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative system.

Working Tax Credit

Paul Holmes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of the relevant working population claim the disability and severe disability elements within the working tax credit, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Dawn Primarolo: For the number of families claiming disabled worker elements within the working tax credit, I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 19 October 2004, Official Report, column 589W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Morley and Rothwell (Mr. Challen).
	No estimates are available of the number of families eligible for these tax credits elements.

Working Tax Credit

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the distribution of eligible child care costs is, in £20bands, among in-work families benefiting from the child care element of the working tax credit who (a) have a child aged under five years, (b) do not have a child aged under five years but have a child aged under 10 years and (c) do not have a child aged under 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 7 February 2005
	The distribution for families benefiting at 3 December 2004 is shown in the following table.
	The figures are estimates and therefore subject to sampling uncertainty.
	
		Families benefiting from the child care element at 3 December 2004(24) -- Thousand
		
			 Eligible weekly child care costs allowed(25) At least one child under 5(26) No child under 5 but at least one child under 10(26) Only children aged 10 and over(26) All 
		
		
			 Under £20 11.7 21.8 7.6 41.1 
			 £20-£39.99 24.5 29.1 7.4 61.0 
			 £40-£59.99 33.7 19.3 3.7 56.7 
			 £60-£79.99 31.3 10.8 *1.6 43.7 
			 £80-£99.99 30.2 7.0 *1.0 38.2 
			 £100-£119.99 26.3 4.2 *0.4 30.9 
			 £120-£139.99(25) 31.0 3.5 *0.6 35.1 
			 £140 and over(25) 20.8 3.4 *0.4 24.6 
			 Total 209.5 99.0 22.8 331.3 
		
	
	(24)Based on a 20 per cent. sample of couples and a 10 per cent. sample of single adults receiving tax credits. Subject to sampling uncertainty—see 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. December 2004'. Figures marked * are subject to particularly high relative uncertainty.
	(25)Taking account of the maximum costs allowable for a family with one child for whom eligible costs are incurred.
	(26)Ages of all children in the family, not just those for whom childcare costs are incurred.

Working Tax Credit

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the financial effects of changing the subsidy rate in the child care element of the working tax credit (a) to (i) 50 per cent., (ii) 25 per cent. and (iii) 0 per cent. in 2005–06 and (b) to (A) 50 per cent., (B) 25 per cent. and (C) 0 per cent. in (1) 2006–07, (2) 2007–08 and (3) 2008–09 (X) gross and (Y) net of offsetting changes on other means-tested benefits and taxes.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 7 February 2005
	No separate forecast is made of expenditure on the child care element of working tax credits.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcohol-related Violence

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) incidents of violence against the person and (b) police emergency call-outs resulting from incidents occurring (i) on and (ii) in the vicinity of premises licensed to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises under the Licensing Act 1964 there were in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The numbers of violent offences committed in connection with licensed premises in 2003–04 are given in the table. Details on the number of police emergency call-outs resulting from incidents occurring (i) on and (ii) in the vicinity of premises licensed to sell alcohol for consumption are not available centrally.
	
		Number of violent offences committed in connection with licensed premises, 2003–04
		
			 Police force area Violent offences committed 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 2,574 
			 Bedfordshire 762 
			 Cambridgeshire 750 
			 Cheshire 806 
			 Cleveland 1,615 
			 Cumbria 600 
			 Derbyshire n/a 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,580 
			 Dorset 752 
			 Durham n/a 
			 Dyfed-Powys 816 
			 Essex 1,756 
			 Gloucestershire 864 
			 Greater Manchester 1,620 
			 Gwent 791 
			 Hampshire 2,417 
			 Hertfordshire 1,005 
			 Humberside 1,007 
			 Kent 813 
			 Lancashire 3,910 
			 Leicestershire 1,323 
			 Lincolnshire 607 
			 London, City of 151 
			 Merseyside n/a 
			 Metropolitan Police n/a 
			 Norfolk 540 
			 Northamptonshire 1,043 
			 Northumbria 1,767 
			 North Wales 967 
			 North Yorkshire 1,124 
			 Nottinghamshire n/a 
			 South Wales 2,895 
			 South Yorkshire 1,581 
			 Staffordshire 2,424 
			 Suffolk 993 
			 Surrey 794 
			 Sussex n/a 
			 Thames Valley 2,146 
			 Warwickshire n/a 
			 West Mercia 882 
			 West Midlands 4,140 
			 West Yorkshire 2,017 
			 Wiltshire 373 
			 Total 52,205

ASBOs

Gerry Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in the City of Durham since their inception.

Hazel Blears: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) have been available to the courts since 1 April 1999. From commencement, up to 30 June 2004 (latest available), the Home Office has been notified of nine ASBOs issued within the City of Durham.
	Data up to 30 September 2004 will be available shortly.

ASBOs

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been made by courts within the Greater London area in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: The available information, up to 30 June 2004 (latest available), is given in the table.
	
		The number of ASBOs issued in Greater London, at all courts, as reported to the Home Office, by period
		
			 1 July to 30 June Number 
		
		
			 2001–02 11 
			 2002–03 38 
			 2003–04 (latest available) 183 
			 Total 232

Asylum Seekers

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he issues to his officials in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate regarding treatment of foreign nationals who have been refused asylum in the UK but who are then denied entry into their country of origin.

Des Browne: Instructions to immigration officers are set out as operational best practice. In the circumstances set out above immigration officers will:
	Consider any other application for leave to enter in accordance with the rules.
	Determine if any new application for asylum meets the criteria to be fast-tracked and certified under existing legislation. Where a claim has been certified, immigration officers will refuse entry and direct removal back to the applicant's country of origin. Where the application is not certified, immigration officers will screen the applicant and refer to the Immigration Nationality Directorate (IND) asylum caseworkers to consider the fresh asylum application.
	The IND continues to work closely with a number of countries of origin to secure returns arrangements. On a bilateral basis, these may be informal Memoranda of Understanding or formal readmission agreements. We also work within the framework of the ED to conclude EC Readmission Agreements.

Asylum Seekers

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those detained under anti-terrorist measures (a) were seeking asylum at the time of their detention and (b) have subsequently claimed asylum.

Des Browne: holding answer 1 February 2005
	Between 11 September 2001 and 31 December 2004, police and Home Office records show that a total of 717 people were detained under the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. Many have since been released. Of the 182 identified in Home Office records as having applied for asylum, 166 had claimed asylum prior to arrest, and 16 subsequently.

British Citizens Killed Abroad

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend Criminal Injuries Compensation Board payments to include British citizens who are killed abroad.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 6 December 2004
	The British Government are not liable for injuries caused to British Citizens by the criminal acts of others abroad.
	European Council Directive 2004/80/EC of 29 April 2004 makes it clear that, within the European Union, responsibility for paying compensation to victims of violent intentional crime rests with the competent authority of the member state on whose territory the crime was committed. We believe that principle holds good in respect of crimes of violence committed in non-EU countries, and we have no plans to extend the territorial scope of the Great Britain Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
	British nationals or residents injured abroad should accordingly look for compensation to the perpetrator, to whatever insurance arrangements they may have made, or to the State where the criminal injury occurred.

Burglary (Homeowners)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been charged with offences arising from the defence of their home against a burglar or other intruder in each of the past five years; how many prosecutions were successful; how many persons were sentenced to a term of imprisonment; and how many convictions were subsequently overturned.

Paul Goggins: Statistics for persons charged with crimes are not collected centrally nor is it possible to identify those persons prosecuted for offences arising from the defence of their home, as the circumstances surrounding an offence are not collected centrally on the Home Office Court Proceedings database.
	The Director of Public Prosecutions would look for clear evidence of excessive force before considering a prosecution. The Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers together issued guidance for householders on Tuesday 1 February, which explains in plain language the rights of a person if faced with an intruder.

Cash in Transit Vehicles

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the Government's strategy is for preventing attacks on cash in transit vehicles;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of regional variations in police response times to cash in transit vehicle attacks; and what strategies he intends to put in place to reduce regional variations;
	(3)  what research has been carried out into how cash stolen in cash in transit attacks is used by organised crime.
	(4)  what the average sentence was for individuals convicted of cash in transit attacks in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office has been in discussion with the British Securities Industry Association and police to reduce cash-in- transit robberies. The industry has committed itself to tackling this crime through the spread of good practice and the use of technology to protect cash-in-transit deliveries, the industry is also working closely with the police to share intelligence relating to cash-in-transit robberies.
	Statistics on police response times to cash-in-transit vehicle attacks and average sentences for individuals convicted of cash in transit attacks are not held centrally. We are not aware of any research into how cash stolen in cash-in-transit attacks is used.

CCTV

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide further funding for CCTV schemes in Lancashire.

Hazel Blears: There are currently funds available under the Building Safer Communities Funds for a range of crime reduction initiatives. The Building Safer Communities fund is allocated by the Home Office to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) to enable them to tackle local crime priorities through a number of interventions, including CCTV. For 2004–05 the Building Safer Communities fund has provided £74 million for Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in England and Wales. It is open to the CDRPs in Lancashire to decide whether they wish to include CCTV projects in their spending plans. In addition, the Basic Command Unit (BCU) Fund for police commanders may be used for CCTV provision if regarded as a priority locally.

Child Curfew Schemes

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many child curfew schemes under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 have been established in each year since their introduction.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 4 February 2005
	No applications have been received to establish a local child curfew scheme under section 14 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The powers contained in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 for the dispersal of groups and the removal of persons under 16 to their place of residence have been used to in preference to this power.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 11 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Pauline Clear.

Charles Clarke: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 2 December 2004.

Curfew Orders

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many curfew orders with electronic monitoring were made by the courts in England and Wales in each of the last three financial years.

Paul Goggins: The total number of curfew orders with electronic monitoring made by the courts in each of the last three financial years was:
	
		
			 Financial year Orders made 
		
		
			 2001–02 6,900 
			 2002–03 11,342 
			 2003–04 18,296

Custody Plans/Prisoner Passports

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make it mandatory for all prisons to provide custody plans or prisoner passports; and if he will estimate the cost of doing so.

Paul Goggins: There are no plans to make it mandatory for prisons to provide custody plans or prisoner passports, which are mainly used for adults serving short sentences and focus on resettlement issues. No estimates of the cost of doing this have been made. Extending the OASys offender assessment system to short-term prisoners will be reviewed as part of the preparations for the introduction of Custody Plus, under the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many departmental mobile telephones were used by (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department in each year since 1997, and at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 6 December 2005
	Detailed records on mobile telephony are not held centrally and in order to obtain the information required would incur disproportionate costs.
	I can however provide information on mobile phones, associated equipment and call and access charges associated with mobile telephony procurement made by the Commercial Directorate (previously CAPU) since 1997 which is as follows.
	
		
			 Time period/ financial year  Comment  Cost (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 Central spend on equipment and tariffs only. 283.39 
			 1998–99 Central spend on equipment and tariffs only. 17,120.77 
			 1999–2000 Central spend on equipment and tariffs only. 83,051.59 
			 2000–01 Central spend on equipment and tariffs. Includes IND equipment and tariff costs for mobile telephony relating to the Automated Fingerprint Identification System project procured centrally by CARD. 394,063.11 
			 2001–02 Central spend on equipment and tariffs only. 51,738.03 
			 2002–03 Total cost comprises total equipment, tariff and call charges from Vodafone including IND. 1,131,775.30 
			 2003–04 Total cost comprises [a] total mobile charges from Vodafone including IND and [b] Orange equipment and tariff costs only (Non-IND). 1,489,460.40 
			 2004–05 Total cost comprises [a] total mobile charges from Vodafone including IND and [b] Orange equipment and tariff costs only (Non-IND). 1,372,788.30 
		
	
	Notes:
	On figures provided:
	1.The figures represent expenditure incurred on behalf of the Home Department including IND (where available) by Commercial Directorate (previously CAPU) excluding Executive Agencies and NDPBs.
	2.The figures supersede those provided in response to previous Parliamentary Questions regarding mobile telephony. The figures previously did not include call charging and access detail and were taken from a manual record system held by Commercial Directorate and not the central purchasing database.

Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are undertaking drug rehabilitation under drug treatment and testing orders.

Paul Goggins: There were eight, 404 Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) current in England and Wales at 30 November 2004.
	It is a requirement of the DTTO that the offender submits to drug treatment during the whole of the order.

Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have failed to complete Drug Treatment and Testing Order programmes since they were introduced.

Paul Goggins: 14,109 Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) were not completed between October 2000, when the order was rolled-out to courts across England and Wales, and November 2004. Of these 8,340 were revoked because of a failure to comply with the order, 4, 285 for conviction of another offence(s) and 1,484 for other reasons (e.g. ill health, death of the offender, offender started employment, training or education).
	The proportion of offenders successfully completing DTTOs is rising. A DTTO completion target for 2004–05 of 35 per cent. was introduced from April 2004. Performance against this target across the Probation Service for the period April to November 2004 was 34 per cent. compared with 30 per cent. in the two-year reconviction study of offenders in the three DTTO pilot areas.

Fear of Crime

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of links between media publications and fear ofcrime.

Hazel Blears: The 2002–03 British Crime Survey showed a relationship between newspaper readership and worry about types of crime. For example, reading tabloid newspapers regularly was a significant predictive factor of having a high level of worry about violent crime.
	Work continues in the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate to investigate the correlation between media reporting and fear of crime data within the British Crime Survey.
	In addition, Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships are encouraged to engage with their local media to promote balanced reporting of stories affecting local communities.

Fixed Penalty Notices

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices for public nuisance under chapter 1, part 1 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 have been issued by (a) Essex and (b) Southend community support officers in each year since their inception.

Hazel Blears: It is not currently possible from the statistics collected centrally on penalty notices for disorder to distinguish those issued by community support officers from those issued by police officers. Action is being taken to provide such a distinction in the next few months.
	57,607 (a provisional figure) penalty notices for disorder have been issued nationally during the calendar year 2004.

Futurebuilders fund

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will list the beneficiaries of the Futurebuilders scheme to date;
	(2)  how much has been awarded from the Futurebuilders fund; and how much is budgeted for distribution in the next five years.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 7 February 2005
	Futurebuilders will be announcing their first investments early this year. Further announcements of investment decisions will be made by Futurebuilders in due course.
	The Government funding allocated to Futurebuilders for 2004–05 was £57 million and will be £58 million for 2005–06. These sums are in addition to the £10 million which was allocated for 2003–04, at the start up of the project.
	Ministers are currently considering budget allocations for 2006–07 and 2007–08 and a final decision will be announced in due course.

Holocaust Memorial Day

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who initiated the Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration in Westminster Hall on 27 January; and if he will make a statement on the role played by the BBC in the arrangements.

Fiona Mactaggart: After consulting its steering group of interested parties and the BBC about an appropriate venue, the Home Office approached the relevant authorities for permission to use Westminster Hall.
	Following the successful precedent of the first Holocaust Memorial Day event in 2001, which the BBC and Home Office jointly created and staged and the BBC televised, the Home Office decided to invite the BBC to fulfil the same role for the 60th Anniversary event. The BBC undertook the event production work on a cost only basis, producing the event to Home Office requirements, in consultation with the steering group and within BBC editorial guidelines.

Homicide

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to establish categories of homicide, other than justifiable homicide, that do not automatically carry a life sentence upon conviction; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: A review of the law of homicide was announced on 27 October 2004. The terms of reference for the review will be placed before the House shortly.

Human Trafficking

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedure is followed on the discovery of victims of human trafficking; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The United Kingdom Immigration Service has clearly defined practices for the identification and handling of victims of trafficking in human beings. Guidance on the procedure to be followed by immigration officers states that
	It is important that immigration officers, who may be the first contact point for victims (especially child victims claiming asylum), provide full details on the victim along with any relevant intelligence information to Social Services Departments and to the police so that the victims can receive adequate protection".
	A specialist pan-London Immigration Service unit leads on operations concerning the vice trade and works closely with the Metropolitan Police Service Central Clubs and Vice Unit, where officers are also experienced in working with victims. Smaller units with immigration officers who also receive training in the identification of victims of trafficking have also been established.
	Where individuals are arrested during the course of police or immigration operations, they are generally taken to a police station to be interviewed. The initial interview seeks to establish the individual's status and circumstances. During any initial police interview officers will seek to establish whether there may be other victims in need of protection.
	Where a victim of trafficking is eligible for support through the POPPY Scheme, a referral is made and Immigration Service interviews are conducted on the premises of Eaves Housing for Women, the current service provider. While there is no requirement for a victim to speak to the police during the first four weeks on the POPPY Scheme, the victim may choose to do so. Information provided may add to the intelligence picture or provide a basis for further investigation.
	Following the initial immigration service interview and any police interview, workers at the POPPY Scheme undertake a needs and risk assessment and develop a support package for each victim.

Identity Cards

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2005, Official Report, columns 115–16W, on identity cards, when a decision will be made on the number and location of centres where biometric information may be recorded; and what assessment has been made of the feasibility and cost of using mobile equipment to collect this information.

Des Browne: Decisions on the number and location of centres where biometric information may be recorded will be made in the procurement phase of the programme expected to conclude by 2007 during which time feasibility and cost issues will have been thoroughly evaluated. Mobile equipment was used during the biometric enrolment pilot to assess the public's reaction to this type of equipment.

National Offender Management Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expected cost is of each of the individual departments and units that (a) are already established and (b) are planned to be established within the National Offender Management Service.

Paul Goggins: The 2005–06 budget which will be managed by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) totals £4,050 million resource and £320 million capital. This includes expenditure by the Youth Justice Board, Prison Service, probation service and the Correctional Services Head Quarters.
	We cannot yet provide 2005–06 budgets for each of the individual areas within NOMS as we are currently designing a new headquarters structure which includes transferring a number of units (and their budgets) from the organisations that make up the service to NOMS Head Quarters. A detailed proposal showing the allocation of individual units to NOMS Head Quarters Directorates has been put forward to staff and trade unions for their comments. This restructuring of NOMS Head Quarters is due to be finalised in April 2005, thereafter separate budgets for the organisations and Directorates within NOMS will be agreed.

National Offender Management Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when regional offender managers will assume responsibility for budgets in the Prison and Probation Services.

Paul Goggins: In 2005–06, budget allocations for probation areas will be endorsed by regional offender managers (ROMs). In 2006–07, budget allocations for probation areas and the Prison Service will be agreed by ROMs

OASys IT System

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 326W, on the OASys IT System, what estimate he has made of the cost of OASys assessments for those young adult offenders aged 18 to 20 years sentenced to fewer than 12 months imprisonment.

Paul Goggins: We estimate the additional cost of completing OASys assessments for this group at around £282,000.

OASys IT System

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were subject to OASys assessments in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: Prison Service records identify 13,546 offenders as receiving one or more OASys assessments for the 12 months from 1 January to 31 December 2004. This figure includes offenders with OASys assessments completed by Cheshire Probation Area—the first area to be linked electronically with prisons.
	National Probation Service records identify 244,582 as having received one or more electronic OASys assessments completed by probation staff between October 2002 and mid January 2005. The configuration of the probation OASys IT system does not allow figures to be produced for the 12 months of 2004 alone without incurring disproportionate cost. However, the great majority of the electronic assessments were completed in 2004. In addition there were several thousand assessments completed on the paper-based system which the IT progressively replaced, but these are not counted. addition there were several thousand assessments completed on the paper-based system which the IT progressively replaced, but these are not counted.

OASys IT System

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of operating the OASys system has been in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The funding allocated to meet the additional cost of operating the OASys offender assessment system for the 12 months period from 1 January to 31 December 2004 was £10,182,000.
	The following table shows the breakdown between the Prison Service (HMPS) and the national probation service (NPS) and between operational and IT support costs. The figures do not include development costs for new software or project costs for establishing and implementing the projects and programme.
	
		£ million
		
			  HMPS NPS Total 
		
		
			 Operational 5.94 3.12 9.06 
			 IT support costs 0.51 0.61 1.12 
			 Total 6.45 3.73 10.18

OASys IT System

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 326W, on the OASys IT System, if he will list those prisons which provide custody plans or prisoner passports for adults serving short sentences;
	(2)  how many prisoners have been subject to custody plans or prisoner passports; and what percentage such prisoners represent of adults serving short sentences.

Paul Goggins: All prisoners serving sentences of 12months or more are required to have an individual sentence plan, which is now included within OASys.
	Following local initiatives some prisons provide Custody" plans or passports", which focus on resettlement issues, for prisoners serving under 12-month sentences. No central record is available of the number of prisoners on these schemes.

Offender Management

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which agency is responsible, where an offender is a danger to himself, his immediate family and the wider public, for ensuring that the offender (a) does not re-offend, (b) receives the requested medical treatment and (c) has stable and permanent accommodation; and what the role of his Department is.

Paul Goggins: An offender under current probation supervision is allocated an offender manager who is responsible for assessing the risk of harm posed by that individual. The offender manager will develop a supervision plan which is directly aimed at reducing the risk of re-offending. Where there is any indication that medical treatment may be required, the offender manager can direct the offender to local health services, whose responsibility it is to provide any necessary service. The offender manager cannot seek to enforce compliance with treatment unless it is a specific requirement of their supervision. Similarly with accommodation, local authorities are required to ensure that advice and information is made available about an individual's right to apply for housing, and to provide assistance where necessary. The probation service has a role in signposting offenders to local authority advice services, and can refer those who need additional housing support to local services run under the Supporting People Programme. In addition, there is a limited supply of approved accommodation available for those offenders who pose the greatest risk of harm.
	Offenders with multiple problems will demand the expertise of a number of agencies. The Government are committed to enhanced partnership working and special arrangements have been put in place for the supervision of those offenders who represent the greatest risk of harm. These arrangements, known as Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) ensure that key agencies come together with others under the lead of the probation, prison and police services to plan and monitor the supervision of individuals. The key agencies, including local housing authorities and health Trusts and Authorities, have been placed under a duty to co-operate with their local police, prison and probation services.

Passports

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2005, Official Report, columns 121–2W, on passports, when a final decision will be made on the number of interview offices; and what steps he has taken to investigate the practicality of mobile facilities for remote areas.

Des Browne: I expect to be in a position to make a decision in April this year on the number of locations in which interview offices will be required. As part of a programme of consultations on the sitting of offices, the UK Passport Service (UKPS) will be visiting Highlands and Islands Enterprise for discussions in early March. The UKPS will also visit mobile facilities in Scotland belonging to the Driving Standards Agency. A critical issue will be the standard of security required in mobile units for the handling and transmission of personal data. The UKPS is currently investigating this.

Police

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whom Government offices of the regions consult when setting crime reduction targets for each police authority;
	(2)  if he will list the targets set for Sussex police by (a) the police authority, (b) the Government offices of the region and (c) the crime reduction partnership.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 3 February 2005
	The Government offices for the regions (GOs) do not set crime reduction targets for police authorities, for police forces or for crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs).
	The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires CDRPs to publish three-yearly crime and disorder reduction strategies which include specific targets for reducing crime in their areas. The next round of strategies is due to be published by 1 April 2005. A key function of GOs is to support delivery of Government business in the regions, and in line with this role, I have asked them to work with CDRPs to ensure that the local targets agreed make an appropriate contribution to national delivery of the new Home Office Public Service Agreement (PSA) 1. This PSA requires a reduction in crime by 15 per cent., and more in high-crime areas, by 2007–08.
	On the basis of advice from the Home Office, GOs' approach to this task has been to suggest to each CDRP a target range" for which they should be aiming, The range suggested to an individual CDRP depends upon the level of crime in their area. CDRPs with higher crime levels are expected to achieve greater reductions than those in lower crime areas.
	Guidance on this process was issued to CDRPs on 7 December 2004, copied to chief constables and police authorities. In addition, the National Policing Plan published in November 2004 explicitly highlighted the need for GOs, police and CDRPs to collaborate closely in agreeing measures to achieve PSA 1. The National Policing Plan 2005–08 is available on the police reform website at www.policereform.gov.uk.
	As key members of CDRPs it is for police authorities to ensure that police performance requirements and CDRP targets are directed at achieving reductions in crime and improvements in performance. Chris Fox, chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers, recently sent a letter to chief constables clarifying the links between the Police Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF) and the requirement for CDRPs to set challenging targets. Many CDRPs across the country have now agreed targets with their GO with which all CDRP members—including the police—are satisfied.
	Copies of all the documents referred to in this reply will be placed in the Library.

Police

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of officers of inspector rank and above in each constabulary are (a) women and (b) from ethnic minorities, broken down by rank.

Hazel Blears: The latest information on police strength was published in Home Office Statistical Bulletin number 13/04, Police Service Strength England and Wales, 31 March 2004".
	The bulletin can be found on the following website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1 .html.

Police

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what programmes are in place within the police service to develop the skills of officers of inspector rank and above.

Hazel Blears: As part of the Government's police reform programme, there are several programmes available to officers at the rank of inspector and above which enhance policing and leadership skills. These programmes promote ongoing development and present an integrated approach to police training.
	The Core Leadership Development Programme (CLDP) is available to officers up to and including the rank of inspector. The emphasis of the programme is on personal and professional development of both leadership and management. The goal is to improve individual performance and ability to effectively deliver an improved service, both internally and within the community.
	The Senior Leadership Development Programme (SLDP) is aimed at commanders and their teams, for all types of command and management units— operational or support. The programme provides further leadership development for police officers with independent command and management responsibilities, including those aspiring to join the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and looking to go to PNAC (the Police National Assessment Centre).
	SLDP leads on to the strategic command course, which prepares officers for promotion into ACPO ranks.
	In addition to these central programmes, the Professionalising Investigations Programme (PIP) has been developed to examine existing investigation procedures and develop ways to make the process more professional, ethical and effective for both officers and support staff involved in investigations at all levels, including the management of investigations.

Police

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average age is of serving police officers, broken down by (a) rank and (b) police force area.

Hazel Blears: It is not possible to calculate average age from the information available centrally. Available data show that, of the 140,070 officers in post in England and Wales police forces on 31 March 2004, 14,148 (or 10 per cent.) were aged 25 or under; 75,309 (or 54 per cent.) were aged 26 to 40; 50,028 (or 36 per cent.) were aged 41 to 55; and 585 (or 0.4 per cent.) were over 55.
	A full breakdown of numbers of officers in these age bands, by rank and police force area, is shown in the following table.
	
		Age type by force for all ranks -- Headcount
		
			  Age type  
			 Forces 25 and under 26 to 40 41 to 55 Over 55 Total 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 336 1,911 1,196 18 3,461 
			 Bedfordshire 195 605 406 9 1,215 
			 Cambridgeshire 146 770 506 4 1,426 
			 Cheshire 184 1,257 774 5 2,220 
			 Cleveland 165 873 667 6 1,711 
			 Cumbria 102 697 465 0 1,264 
			 Derbyshire 193 1,123 776 10 2,102 
			 Devon and Cornwall 176 1,844 1,339 7 3,366 
			 Dorset 116 753 596 12 1,477 
			 Durham 117 979 613 5 1,714 
			 Dyfed-Powys 50 644 479 7 1,180 
			 Essex 406 1,696 1,048 15 3,165 
			 Gloucestershire 124 700 493 4 1,321 
			 Greater Manchester 907 4,450 2,781 18 8,156 
			 Gwent 111 810 464 4 1,389 
			 Hampshire 354 2,060 1,394 17 3,825 
			 Hertfordshire 360 1,152 629 4 2,145 
			 Humberside 187 1,148 910 11 2,256 
			 Kent 441 1,961 1,241 31 3,674 
			 Lancashire 223 1,997 1,392 5 3,617 
			 Leicestershire 237 1,291 786 6 2,320 
			 Lincolnshire 59 634 543 11 1,247 
			 London, City of 60 452 346 3 861 
			 Merseyside 243 2,028 1,882 10 4,163 
			 Metropolitan Police 4,013 16,052 10,142 178 30,385 
			 Norfolk 101 844 600 5 1,550 
			 Northamptonshire 89 699 489 5 1,282 
			 Northumbria 241 2,313 1,527 12 4,093 
			 North Wales 108 940 616 5 1,669 
			 North Yorkshire 125 832 582 6 1,545 
			 Nottinghamshire 249 1,347 923 18 2,537 
			 South Wales 240 1,954 1,130 9 3,333 
			 South Yorkshire 220 1,898 1,198 18 3,334 
			 Staffordshire 201 1,377 738 5 2,321 
			 Suffolk 135 753 438 5 1,331 
			 Surrey 200 1,092 662 13 1,967 
			 Sussex 403 1,724 1,012 6 3,145 
			 Thames Valley 544 2,100 1,486 19 4,149 
			 Warwickshire 105 517 396 3 1,021 
			 West Mercia 208 1,226 942 9 2,385 
			 West Midlands 961 4,473 2,668 23 8,125 
			 West Yorkshire 434 2,643 2,274 19 5,370 
			 Wiltshire 79 690 479 5 1,253 
			 Total 14,148 75,309 50,028 585 140,070

Police

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the review of the police grant formula will be completed.

Hazel Blears: We are taking this work forward with the help of the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Association of Police Authorities, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and officials from the National Assembly of Wales. Consultation on the new formula will take place this summer with the aim of introducing a revised formula for the 2006–07 police funding settlement.

Police

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the Police Best Value Performance indicators for (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04.

Hazel Blears: Police authorities are statutorily required to publish data on best value performance indicators in local annual policing plans plus annual reports. Full police force area comparisons of the key indicators are published in the Home Office's annual Police Performance Monitoring volume and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary's annual report. Measures specifically relating to crime, detections and police numbers are also published in the Home Office's annual statistical bulletins 'Crime in England and Wales' and 'Police Service Strength, England and Wales'.
	These can be found on websites:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html
	http://www.policereform.gov.uk/psu/performancemonitors.html and
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmic/annual.html

Police

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the procedure for carrying out a police search of a private residence.

Hazel Blears: The Code of Practice (Code B) for searches of premises by police officers and the seizure of property found by police officers on persons or premises, issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), deals with police powers to search premises.
	Code B requires that police officers should consider if the necessary objectives of entry and search of premises can be met by less intrusive means. Officers should exercise their powers courteously and with respect for persons and property; and only use reasonable force when this is considered necessary and proportionate.
	Code B recognises that on some occasions it may be necessary to enter premises at an unsociable hour where it is considered that access at any other time might frustrate the purpose of the search. Premises may be searched only to the extent necessary to achieve the object of the search, having regard to the size and nature of whatever is sought.
	The officer conducting the search under Code B is required, unless it is impracticable to do so, provide the occupier with a copy of a notice in a standard format. This notice, amongst other things, should summarising the authority under which the search is being made, details of compensation procedures, explain the rights of the occupier and the rights of the owner of any property seized.
	Copies of Code B and the other PACE Codes can be found at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crimpol/police/system/pacecodes.html. The Codes must be readily available at all police stations.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Crown immunity was removed from HM Prison Service.

Paul Goggins: Crown immunity has not been removed from Her Majesty's Prison Service. The service's aim is to comply with all statutory legislation taking into account overriding security needs and potential impact.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vacancies for staff in prison establishments there were on the latest date for which figures are available; how many staff are working out their notice period; how many staff in prison establishments are expected to retire before 1 April 2005; and how many staff he estimates are required to fill all posts at prison establishments.

Paul Goggins: Record numbers of prison officers have been recruited to the public sector Prison Service during 2003 and 2004. 2,420 officers were recruited in 2003 (an increase of 50.5 per cent. on 2002), and 1,983 officers were recruited in 2004. At 31 December 2004 23,822 operational staff (prison officers, senior officers and principal officers) were employed at prison establishments against an operational staffing requirement of 24,682. In addition, the equivalent of 473 officers were available for operational duty through the contract supplementary hours scheme. Overall, operational staffing availability was therefore just 1.6 per cent. below the operational staffing requirement, which the Director General considers to be an acceptable operating margin.
	For all grades of staff working in prison establishments (excluding Headquarters) there were 1,660 vacancies at 31 December 2004. This figure represents a snapshot and does not take into account new staff still in the recruitment process. A total of 46,533 staff (covering all grades) would need to have been employed in public sector prison establishments to fill all identified posts at 31 December 2004. Information on the number of staff working out their notice is not recorded centrally and could only be collected at disproportionate cost. Between 1 January 2005 and 1 April 2005, 72 staff are expected to retire. Staffing levels of contracted prisons are considered commercial in confidence and are therefore not available.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds he will not publish the case he is making to the Treasury to close smaller prisons and build larger prisons.

Paul Goggins: We are preparing a detailed investment case to explore further with the Treasury, policy development and internal discussions on this programme are ongoing and involve commercially sensitive information.

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the cost is of providing satellite television facilities to prisoners in Leicester prison;
	(2)  which prisons in the UK provide satellite television facilities for prisoners.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 3 February 2005
	Sky television is available to prisoners in association areas. The package costs £947.05 a month and is funded from the General Purposes fund which is financed primarily by contributions from members of the public and any profits from prisoner related activities such as the prison shop.

Prisons

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the policy of the Prison Service is on faith-based offending behaviour initiatives; what the contractual arrangements at Dartmoor are under which an outside organisation is providing services of this kind; and how much in public funds (a) was spent in financial year 2003–04 and (b) is budgeted for (i)2004–05 and (ii) 2005–06 in connection with such externally sourced faith-based initiatives.

Paul Goggins: All Offending Behaviour Initiatives within the Prison Service are subject to an evidence-based approach to tackling offending behaviour and must conform to the 'What Works' principles to reduce re-offending.
	A Service Level Agreement has been drawn up between the governor of HMP Dartmoor and the Inner Change Freedom Initiative (IFI) for the IFI project, a religious intervention aimed at transforming prisoners' behaviour, building on a foundation that rests upon biblical principles. This is currently being reviewed according to procedures set out in PSO 4350—Effective Regimes Interventions.
	Comprehensive details of the expenditure incurred by the Prison Service in supporting faith-based offending behaviour courses are not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of how the proposed purchaser/provider split for the probation service in England and Wales will affect the key objective of managing offenders efficiently, effectively and seamlessly.

Paul Goggins: The rationale for a purchaser provider split is contained in Lord Carter's review of correctional services. This split will enable the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to drive up the quality of work with offenders. Individual offender managers will be the users of services commissioned by the national offender manager (NOM) or ROMs and accountable for the effective implementation of sentence plans.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) multi-agency public protection work, (b) drug treatment and testing supervision hostels and (c) probation work in prisons under the purchaser/provider model for the probation service in England and Wales will be part of the (i)offender management arm and (ii) interventions arm; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Multi-agency public protection work, residential drug treatment and probation work in prisons all involve elements both of interventions and offender management. The national offender manager and the director general of the national probation service jointly issued guidance to probation boards in January 2005 on how they should implement offender management for community orders and licence cases. In implementing this model boards will distinguish offender management from intervention functions. Working closely in the course of 2005–06 they will develop the separation further (with the regional offender managers (ROMs)) to ensure a nationally consistent approach.

Research and Development

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of opportunities for research or consulting disseminated by the Department resulted in (a) research reports and (b) physical deliverables in each year since 2001–02.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office conducts a range of social and physical science research and consulting activity to inform the development of the evidence base and support delivery.
	Social science
	Home Office Research, Development and Statistics (RDS) invite opportunities on commercial tenders for social research contracts. These contracts lead to the production of a final report.
	Information on the percentage of tenders that result in publication of the final report is not available, but results are normally published on successful conclusion of the work. Some commercial tenders will result in more than one publication and some publications incorporate more than one external project as well as internal projects. In addition, some of the more recent projects are ongoing and so have not yet reached publication stage.
	Physical science research
	100 per cent. of work contracted out will meet its specification due to the expertise in setting the specification and monitoring progress of the work contracted out.
	The figures on the percentage of funding on contracted out work for earlier years are not readily available, but all of this work resulted in a physical deliverable or report.
	Consultancy contracts
	In 2001–02 the Home Office awarded 145 management consultancy contracts of which 87 were competitively tendered and 58 were single tenders. This does not include professional services such as accountancy, legal services, scientific research and other professional services procured by the Home Office during 2001–02.
	Following the National Audit Office (NAO) report Purchasing Professional Services" the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) issued guidance that re-defined consultancy to include the purchasing of all professional services and not just management consultancy.

Sentencing Policy

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will enable the formation of panels of local people to help to decide what form unpaid community work should take in their areas.

Paul Goggins: Local probation areas have always liaised with local communities in order to identify work which can usefully be undertaken by offenders. All areas survey those who benefit work undertaken by offenders to ensure that the nature and quality of the work help develop has met their needs; and they use this feedback to inform future work plans.
	With the introduction of the new community order and the unpaid work requirement throughout the Criminal Justice Act 2003, the probation service is moving towards a much more structured approach to eliciting the views of local communities. In the course of February 2005, as part of a nationally co-ordinated Clean-Up" campaign, residents in ten probation areas will be asked to vote on a number of possible projects to be undertaken in their locality. The work will then be undertaken in the order of priority identified by residents.
	This desire to take greater account of the views of local people is reflected in the civil renewal strategy currently being developed by the National Offender Management Service. This explores ways in which the confidence of the public in community sentences can be increased. It is crucial that offenders make a visible contribution that can be identified by those in the community who benefit from it. Reparation marques, which indicate that pieces of work have been carried out by offenders, have been distributed across probation areas.

Sentencing Policy

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the comparative rates of detention of black men and white men.

Paul Goggins: On 28 February 2003, there were 51,427 white males and 10,850 black males held in prison establishments in England and Wales, as recorded on the Prison Service central IT system.
	The latest available incarceration rates by ethnic group have been published in Figure 6.6 of 'Prison Statistics England and Wales 2001'. A copy of this publication is available in the Library.

Student Visa Extensions

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data he collects on the quality of service international students receive while processing a visa extension.

Des Browne: Since the introduction of charges on 1 August 2003, we have for the most part been completing 70 per cent. of postal applications within three weeks of receiving them in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND).
	We may not be able to complete applications within three weeks of receipt if they need further documents, inquiries or an interview, or if they are complex. We should normally deal with these within 13 weeks at most. A very small minority which are particularly complex or sensitive may take a little longer.
	Those international students who use the Student Batch Scheme through their student advisers have their applications decided within three weeks or earlier. The percentage of Batch Scheme cases decided at the Initial Consideration Stage is much higher than average—approximately 90 per cent.

Tobacco Sales (Children)

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been in (a) South Yorkshire and (b) England of retailers for selling tobacco to under-age children in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested, relating to England and South Yorkshire police force area, 1999 to 2003, is given in the table.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to underage persons(27)— England and South Yorkshire police force area, 1999 to 2003
		
			 Offence description Statute Year England South Yorkshire PFA 
		
		
			 Sale of tobacco etc. to persons under 16 Children and Young Persons Act 1933, Sec. 7 as amended by Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991, Sec. 1 1999 112 11 
			   2000 153 1 
			   2001 105 1 
			   2002 85 — 
			   2003 107 — 
			  
			 Sale of unpackaged cigarettes Childrens and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991, Sec. 1 1999 3 — 
			   2000 1 — 
			   2001 2 — 
			   2002 1 — 
			   2003 1 — 
			  
			  Total 1999 115 11 
			   2000 154 1 
			   2001 107 1 
			   2002 86 — 
			   2003 108 — 
		
	
	(27)These data are on the principal offence basis.

West Mercia Police

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the last appraisal was carried out of the chief constable for West Mercia police.

Hazel Blears: Procedures for Performance and Development Reviews (PDRs) of chief police officers were established with effect from 1 April 2003.
	The first formal appraisals were carried out in April 2004. The chief constable of West Mercia took up post in August 2003 and since then he has been subject to the normal cycle of appraisal by Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary for the South of England Region, with review meetings being held periodically throughout the year.
	As a local arrangement, the West Mercia police authority also carries out an annual review of the chief constable taking account of the HMI's views as part of this process.

Work Permits

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued in 2004.

Des Browne: holding answer 4 February 2005
	181,432 work permits were issued in 2004 for single and group applications (this number includes all group members individually). If an application for a group is counted as one application, the number of permits issued in 2004 was 160,279.

Zimbabwe

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were deported to Zimbabwe during 2004.

Des Browne: In 2004, one person has been removed as a result of deportation action to Zimbabwe.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Affordable Housing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which other policies in addition to the £60,000 home scheme are planned to make housing more affordable for young adults.

Keith Hill: A number of homes created under the Design for Manufacture" (£60,000 home scheme") will be available under the First Time Buyers Initiative (FTBi). The FTBi will release land held in the public sector for the construction of new homes, removing the cost of land purchase and enabling us to offer homes to first time buyers at less than the market price. English Partnerships will lead on the delivery of 15,000 homes to 2010.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister offers a range of other low cost home ownership options, including shared ownership and Homebuy, which we are looking to simplify and make fairer. In addition, affordable housing for eligible key workers in London, the South East and Eastern regions is available through the Key Worker Living programme. This £690 million programme provides equity loans, shared ownership, intermediate rented and short term rented accommodation, and will help up to 16,000 people in the three years until March 2007.
	Sustainable Communities—Homes for All", published on 24 January sets out a wide range of measures to extend home ownership. This includes how the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will help 80,000 people into home ownership by 2010, including through the FTBi and our traditional programmes. It also announces a new Homebuy scheme that will allow tenants of local authorities and housing associations to buy a stake in their home, which can increase over time. Finally, it also proposes changes to the planning system to ensure more affordable housing for key workers and young families in rural areas.
	This builds on the £38 billion Sustainable Communities Plan announced in February 2003 to provide for 200,000 extra homes in London and the wider South East.
	Also, in the longer term, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is considering our response to the Barker Review of Housing Supply in England, which has reinforced the case for housing growth in areas of high demand. Wide-ranging research is currently being carried out into the implications of her recommendations and we plan to consult on proposals for a national market affordability goal in autumn 2005.

Affordable Housing

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to increase the number of affordable homes for the people of Chorley.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently consulting on national policy for the provision of affordable housing in mixed communities. Planning for Mixed Communities" was launched on 24 January and the consultation period ends on 15 April.
	The Government office, with its regional partners, is considering the provision of affordable housing, as part of the reviews of the regional housing and regional spatial strategies for the north-west. The strategies are expected to be with Ministers in May and September respectively this year.
	The Government office will continue to monitor the provision of affordable housing, in Chorley as in the remainder of the north-west.

Building Regulations

John Horam: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what conclusions he has reached following the collation of issues raised by the consultation on amendments to PartL of the Building Regulations.

Phil Hope: Officials within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister completed the collation of over 400 separate responses to the Part L consultation in December and are considering the issues raised in conjunction with the Building Regulations Advisory Committee. As yet no conclusions have been reached.

Building Regulations

John Horam: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whatrepresentations he has received relating to the consultation on amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations on (a) the number of surveyors required to issue annual certificates and (b) the training required to implement these amendments.

Phil Hope: The consultation included proposals for implementing the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive as well as amending Part L. It is the Directive that calls for the engagement of surveyors to issue certificates but there is no requirement for these to be annual. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received some representations in response to the consultation on the numbers of surveyors that may be needed and the means for training them and has just received a comprehensive report from industry and others addressing the issues.

Building Regulations

John Horam: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received urging for a delay in the implementation of revised building energy standards; what main reasons were given for the need for such a delay; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: During the consultation on amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations and implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive we received some representations for deferring revised building energy standards citing this would allow more time for training resulting in better levels of compliance. Mindful of the need to implement the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive by 4 January 2006 we are considering how best to handle this and are progressing a project to develop better guidance, dissemination and training to improve compliance.

Building Regulations

John Horam: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether in preparing the fuel cost data for amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations he took account of recent variations in domestic energy prices; and whether he plans to make regular future updates of such data.

Phil Hope: The fuel cost data used in the draft RIA published in July 2004 as part of the consultation on the proposed amendments of Part L of the Building Regulations were based on published data that did not take recent variations into account. The final RIA to be published when the amendments are laid will be based on 2005 data. The fuel cost data used is reviewed at intervals of between three and five years.

Business Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) rateable value thresholds, (b) rate relief levels and (c) multipliers operated (i) before and (ii) after the business rate revaluation.

Nick Raynsford: The rate relief thresholds for 2004–05 and from 1 April 2005–06 are outlined as follows.
	
		£
		
			  2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Former agricultural premises 6,000 7,000 
			 Unoccupied property 1,900 2,200 
			
			 Rural   
			 Petrol filling stations and public houses 9,000 10,500 
			 Other 6,000 7,000 
			 LAs discretionary relief 12,000 14,000 
			 Stud farms 3,000 3,500 
		
	
	Transitional arrangements
	For the purposes of the transitional arrangements, a small property is defined as properties with a rateable value less than £12,000 outside London and £18,000 inside London. For 20005–06 this was increased to £15,000 outside London and £21,500 inside London. The thresholds were raised in line with the overall increase in rateable values resulting from the revaluation.
	Non-domestic rate multipliers/poundage
	2004–05 Multiplier:
	Single multiplier of 0.456 or 45.6 pence in the pound
	2005–06 Multipliers:
	Small business rate relief multiplier of 0.415 or 41.5 pence in the pound
	Non-domestic rating multiplier of 0.422 or 42.2 pence in the pound

Civil Servants

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in his Department and its agencies was in each year from 1997–98 to 2003–04 and what the estimated cost will be in each year from 2004–05 to 2007–08; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister includes the cost of early departures in its published Resource Accounts. Figures for years up to and including 2003–04 are therefore accessible from these accounts. Guidance on the accounting treatment of early departure costs can be found in sections 4.6 and 15.7 of the Treasury's (published) Resource Accounting Manual. Future years budgets are currently being considered in business planning.

Consents

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the discretionary activities of local authorities which require consent of central Government to proceed in 2004–05.

Nick Raynsford: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Disabled Facilities Grants

Peter Pike: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding has been available for disabled facilities grants in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government contributes towards 60 per cent. of local authority expenditure on disabled facilities grants (DFG) up to the limit of the allocation made to the authority at the beginning of the financial year, with the remaining 40 per cent. being met from elsewhere in local authorities' budgets.
	Total DFG payments to local authorities in England by the Government over the last three years are tabled as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2001–02 88 
			 2002–03 95 
			 2003–04 112

Fire Brigade (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the future of the Lancashire fire brigade.

Nick Raynsford: The Lancashire fire and rescue service operates under the direction of a fire and rescue authority made up of elected councillors from Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool. There are no plans to change these arrangements.

Fire Service

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions have taken place in each region between fire, ambulance and police services on how they will co-operate in the eventuality of regional control centres being set up for the fire service.

Nick Raynsford: Cooperation between the emergency services, both at strategic level and at operational level, will be unaffected by the introduction of regional control centres. Existing channels for communications between emergency service control rooms will continue to be used. In addition, the three emergency services, defined as category 1 responders under the Civil Contingencies Act, have duties placed on them to co-operate with each other and other local responders to enhance co-ordination and efficiency.

Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many empty residential dwellings there have been in each Greater London borough in each year since 1997.

Keith Hill: The available information on empty residential dwellings in Greater London boroughs is tabled as follows. This data has been provided from a combination of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Housing Investment Programme return and Housing Corporation's Regulatory and Statistical return.
	
		Total vacant dwellings at 1 April in London boroughs: 1997 to 2004
		
			 Local authority 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,509 1,727 2,005 2,172 1,329 1,117 775 656 
			 Barnet 4,211 4,442 4,673 4,068 3,153 4,915 5,179 4,122 
			 Bexley 2,410 2,467 2,203 1,185 1,982 1,644 2,064 1,787 
			 Brent 4,792 3,754 5,151 6,174 5,504 5,670 5,115 5,104 
			 Bromley (28)— (28)— 3,715 3,718 4,318 4,256 4,297 5,296 
			 Camden 4,033 4,745 6,261 4,703 4,335 4,018 3,605 2,305 
			 City of London 32 22 (28)— (28)— 31 32 75 40 
			 Croydon 5,594 5,505 4,598 4,130 4,401 4,650 4,526 4,942 
			 Ealing 5,433 5,705 5,397 2,308 2,449 1,749 1,630 2,956 
			 Enfield (28)— (28)— (28)— (28)— (28)— (28)— (28)— (28)— 
			 Greenwich 4,523 4,508 4,421 4,541 3,058 3,096 3,308 3,287 
			 Hackney 5,165 4,486 3,284 3,970 3,254 (28)— 4,307 3,757 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 4,108 4,026 3,710 4,138 4,557 4,141 3,191 2,180 
			 Haringey 5,419 4,413 5,604 4,417 4,815 3,538 (28)— 2,883 
			 Harrow 983 1,081 1,325 1,231 1,218 1,180 1,196 1,631 
			 Havering (28)— (28)— (28)— (28)— 2,702 505 2,777 2,697 
			 Hillingdon 2,628 2,273 2,497 2,468 2,511 3,003 2,454 2,190 
			 Hounslow 2,306 2,211 2,012 1,903 1,050 2,056 1,950 1,778 
			 Islington 5,392 2,970 2,897 2,773 3,237 3,719 2,643 2,201 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 8,387 (28)— 1,655 1,715 6,067 6,040 6,025 5,978 
			 Kingston upon Thames (28)— (28)— (28)— 1,152 (28)— (28)— (28)— (28)— 
			 Lambeth 5,213 4,656 4,646 4,639 2,572 4,262 3,851 3,769 
			 Lewisham 5,246 (28)— 3,259 3,251 4,025 3,643 4,072 3,964 
			 Merton 1,733 1,625 1,793 2,310 2,114 2,332 2,597 (28)— 
			 Newham 3,424 5,183 5,717 4,663 5,102 3,140 3,276 2,779 
			 Redbridge (28)— (28)— (28)— (28)— (28)— 2,335 (28)— 2,115 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2,420 1,714 1,600 1,629 1,757 1,947 1,953 687 
			 Southwark 3,665 4,658 6,649 6,917 6,367 3,840 4,112 4,480 
			 Sutton 1,826 2,205 2,342 1,243 2,238 2,489 2,542 2,356 
			 Tower Hamlets 4,894 5,071 5,507 5,306 5,429 4,620 4,519 6,430 
			 Waltham Forest 4,840 4,939 2,601 3,004 2,739 3,969 1,470 3,397 
			 Wandsworth 2,783 1,991 2,511 2,314 2,079 2,229 2,293 2,545 
			 Westminster 3,128 3,295 3,407 3,063 2,957 3,176 4,378 4,018 
			 London 121,298 111,952 112,665 105,016 105,181 101,017 100,648 99,892 
		
	
	(28)Denotes missing data. London total includes imputation for these missing values.
	Sources:
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's annual Housing Investment Programme (HIP) returns and the Housing Corporation's annual Regulatory and Statistical return (RSR).

Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much previously developed land has been (a) vacant and (b) derelict in each Greater London borough, in each year since 1997.

Keith Hill: The following table shows amounts of land from the national land use database of previously-developed land. The information was collected from local authorities in 1998 and annually from 2001. Some London boroughs did not provide information in one or more years.
	
		Vacant and derelict land and buildings by London borough: 1998 to 2003 -- Hectares
		
			  Vacant land and buildings Derelict land and buildings 
			 London borough 1998 2001 2002 2003 1998 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 7 46 45 n/a 19 89 86 n/a 
			 Barnet 25 14 21 14 40 41 40 40 
			 Bexley 13 2 11 15 10 10 10 13 
			 Brent 35 n/a 20 14 11 n/a 10 9 
			 Bromley 2 n/a (29)— n/a (29)— n/a (29)— n/a 
			 Camden 9 9 8 n/a (29)— (29)— (29)— n/a 
			 City of London 1 1 n/a (29)— 1 1 n/a (29)— 
			 City of Westminster 14 n/a 9 5 3 n/a (29)— (29)— 
			 Croydon n/a 28 28 38 n/a 16 13 14 
			 Ealing (29)— n/a (29)— 25 (29)— n/a (29)— (29)— 
			 Enfield 46 n/a n/a 83 40 n/a n/a 30 
			 Greenwich 50 83 83 92 155 107 126 42 
			 Hackney 2 1 1 1 (29)— 3 3 2 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3 16 14 (29)— 32 n/a (29)— (29)— 
			 Haringey 11 12 10 n/a (29)— n/a (29)— n/a 
			 Harrow 18 31 14 14 (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Havering 41 48 59 31 34 15 15 15 
			 Hillingdon 9 52 36 30 (29)— 3 5 5 
			 Hounslow 34 12 n/a 6 (29)— 5 n/a 1 
			 Islington 10 9 n/a 21 (29)— (29)— n/a (29)— 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1 n/a (29)— n/a 4 n/a 4 n/a 
			 Kingston upon Thames 7 1 n/a 3 (29)— n/a n/a (29)— 
			 Lambeth 11 n/a n/a 8 (29)— n/a n/a (29)— 
			 Lewisham 6 10 8 4 2 1 1 1 
			 Merton (29)— n/a 4 4 (29)— n/a 5 5 
			 Newham 104 90 52 n/a 32 31 4 n/a 
			 Redbridge n/a 10 4 4 n/a 5 5 5 
			 Richmond upon Thames 7 n/a 30 n/a 1 n/a 2 n/a 
			 Southwark n/a 22 5 n/a n/a 1 4 n/a 
			 Sutton 28 n/a 3 2 7 n/a 1 1 
			 Tower Hamlets n/a 20 9 n/a n/a 7 4 n/a 
			 Waltham Forest 27 25 16 13 2 2 1 (29)— 
			 Wandsworth 7 8 5 3 2 31 26 21 
		
	
	n/a=Not available
	(29)Nil or less than 0.5 hectares
	Totals are as reported by the London borough

Housing

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the effect in Crosby of the changes to council tenants' rights since 1997.

Keith Hill: Council tenants enjoy a number of robust individual and collective rights which are protected through the legislative and regulatory framework. These statutory rights were introduced under the Housing Act 1980 and subsequent housing legislation. Although there has been no specific strengthening of these rights since 1997, the Human Rights Act and Freedom of Information Act do confer additional powers for all sections of society, including council tenants.

Housing

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was received by Sefton in 2003–04 to help fund housing related services for vulnerable people through the Supporting People" programme.

Yvette Cooper: In 2003–04 Sefton metropolitan borough council received £7,274,310 through the Supporting People" programme of which, £6,995,282 was programme grant and £279,028 administration grant.

Housing Associations

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list (a) inspection regimes and (b) regulators to which housing associations are subject.

Keith Hill: The information is as follows:
	(a) Registered social landlords (RSLs) are subject to financial, business and performance review by the Corporation and inspections are undertaken on behalf of the Corporation by the Audit Commission. The Audit Commission has the role of inspecting the quality of services provided by RSLs and the RSLs' arrangements for securing continuous improvement in the efficiency, effectiveness and economy in their delivery of service.
	(b) Registered social landlords comprise a wide range of bodies with varying forms of constitution. They are subject to regulation by the Housing Corporation and of any other regulatory body appropriate for their particular constitution and activities, for example the Charity Commission (charitable bodies), Companies House (not for profit companies), and the Financial Services Authority (for some Industrial and Provident Societies).

Local Government/Funding

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what future roles are planned for (a) county councils, (b) district councils and (c) parish and town councils.

Nick Raynsford: As set out in the Office of the DeputyPrime Minister's Five Year Plan Sustainable Communities: People Places and Prosperity and building upon the reforms we have already put in place, our new strategy for local government—local:vision—which we are developing through a series of discussion documents, will help shape a new role for local government which puts it at the heart of our work to create sustainable communities and to empower people.

Local Government/Funding

Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding Durham county council received in (a) 2001 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available.

Nick Raynsford: In 2001–02 Durham county council received £344.303 million in revenue grants. The budget figure for 2004–05 is £418.681 million. These figures are as reported by the local authority and include special and specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance, revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changing local authority responsibilities

Local Government/Funding

Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding was received by Chester-le-Street district council in (a) 2001 and (b) the last year for which funding was available.

Nick Raynsford: In 2001–02 Chester-le-Street district council received £4.027 million in revenue grants. The budget figure for 2004–05 is £4.786 million. These figures are as reported by the local authority and include special and specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance, revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changing local authority responsibilities

Local Parking

Liam Byrne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on local authorities' obligations to (a) assess the requirement for and (b) provide adequate local parking facilities for residents.

Keith Hill: Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing (PPG3)" explains that local authorities requirements for car parking, especially off-street car parking, are a significant determinant of the amount of land needed for new housing. In the 1990s, car parking standards for housing became increasingly demanding and were applied too rigidly, often as minimum standards.
	With this in mind, PPG3 says that local authorities should have parking standards which allow for significantly lower levels of car parking provision where appropriate. For example, this could apply to developments:
	in locations like town centres where services are accessible by walking, cycling or public transport;
	which provide housing for older people, students and single people, all of whom are likely to have less demand for car parking than families; and
	involving the conversion of housing or non-residential buildings where off-street parking is less likely to be successfully designed into the scheme.
	PPG3 advises that parking policies should be framed with good design in mind while recognising that car ownership varies with income, age, household type and location. The Planning for Housing statement of 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 53WS, explained that car parking standards should result in an average of 1.5 off-street car parking spaces per dwelling over an authority's area. As this is an average, this does not mean that the Government expects all dwellings in new developments to have 1.5 car parking spaces. Policies which would result in higher levels of off-street parking, especially in urban areas, should not be adopted.
	To help the development of appropriate standards, the Government are carrying out research to consider how varying levels of car parking can be achieved in ways consistent with their policies on sustainable residential environments. We aim to publish this research in summer 2005.

Neighbourhood Renewal

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to give details of the futuredistribution of Neighbourhood Renewal Fund monies.

Yvette Cooper: No decisions have yet been made on the allocation of over £1 billion of new Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) resources for the period 2006–08. The Government are currently consulting with key stakeholders involved in delivering neighbourhood renewal at the local level. The Government will need to consider the responses to this consultation carefully before making a final decision on the allocation of the new resources. An announcement giving details of the future distribution of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund will be made later this year.

Northern Way Document

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) framework for consultation and (b) list of consultees were for the Northern Way document; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: 'Moving Forward: The Northern Way' was published on 20 September 2004 by the independently chaired and regional development agency-led Northern Way Steering Group. The steering group contains representatives from business, the housing sector, higher education and the northern core cities as well as the three northern regional development agencies and regional assemblies, English Partnerships and Government.
	Significant consultation went into the preparation of the report, including regional stakeholder events in June, November and December 2004, tailored presentations to organisations on request and extensive mailing to all local authorities and other organisations.
	Details can be obtained from the three northern regional development agencies and the Northern Way website, www.thenorthernway.co.uk.

Planning (Gloucestershire)

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whatthe timetable is for consultation upon the South West regional assembly's housing proposals for Gloucestershire; and whether this will parallel the consultation for the Regional Spatial Strategy.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware that a consultation exercise is currently being carried out in Gloucestershire, seeking views on technical work that has been undertaken on behalf of the regional assembly by a steering group led by the county council. The consultation period runs from 17 January to 18 February 2005. The results of this and other work will feed into the development of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the South West, a draft of which will be submitted to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in December 2005. There will then be extensive consultation on the draft RSS, followed by an examination in public before an independent panel.

Planning (Gloucestershire)

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the relationship between the third review of the Gloucestershire structural plan, Stroud district council's local plan and the regional spatial strategy as they affect Gloucestershire.

Keith Hill: The Stroud local plan sets out detailed planning policies and proposals for Stroud district for the period to 2011 and is being prepared in accordance with the adopted Gloucestershire structure plan second review which sets out broad, strategic planning policies for the county. That structure plan has been the subject of review and the structure plan third alteration, covering the period 1996–2016, has reached an advanced stage. Regional planning guidance for the south-west (RPG10) was approved in 2001 and became the regional spatial strategy on commencement of the new Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act. RPG10 covers the period 1996–2016 and is being reviewed as part of the preparation of a new regional spatial strategy (RSS) for the south west. The draft RSS will be submitted to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in December 2005, following which there will be extensive public consultation and an examination in public before an independent panel. We currently estimate that the RSS will be approved in mid 2007.

Renewables Promotion

Joan Walley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made towards promoting renewables within the context of planning policy; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: In 2004 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published Planning Policy Statement 22 on Renewable Energy, that provides the policy context for encouraging appropriate development of further renewable energy schemes, and its companion guide which gives practical advice as to how these policies can be implemented. These documents provide a positive planning framework for achieving the Government target of generating 10 per cent. of UK electricity from renewable energy sources by 2010.

Right to Buy

Clive Betts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council homes have been sold under the right to buy scheme in Sheffield in each year since 1980.

Keith Hill: Annual figures of council right to buy sales for Sheffield reported by the local authority are as follows.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1981–82 513 
			 1982–83 2,104 
			 1983–84 1,005 
			 1984–85 789 
			 1985–86 1,001 
			 1986–87 1,001 
			 1987–88 1,860 
			 1988–89 2,499 
			 1989–90 3,806 
			 1990–91 1,564 
			 1991–92 831 
			 1992–93 679 
			 1993–94 548 
			 1994–95 611 
			 1995–96 453 
			 1996–97 469 
			 1997–98 450 
			 1998–99 459 
			 1999–2000 619 
			 2000–01 745 
			 2001–02 1,333 
			 2002–03 1,489 
			 2003–04 2,249 
		
	
	Source:
	Quarterly returns on council house sales (P1B) from local authorities to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Staff Training

George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the costs of departmental (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department were in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Sustainable Communities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the strategy for building sustainable communities.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister makes frequent assessments of progress on delivering sustainable communities through our Public Service Agreement Targets, information about which is published in our Departmental Annual Report. The Sustainable Communities Plan is a long-term programme of action, but progress to date has been excellent. Since 2002, the Government have increased house building by 10 per cent. delivered 43,589 affordable homes to rent and assisted over 11,000 key workers into home ownership. We have cut rough sleeping by 70 per cent. since 1998. Since 1997 we have made around 1 million social homes decent and increased grant to local authorities by 30 per cent. in real terms. We will build on this success through the measures outlined to the House by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 24 January.

Unallocated Spending

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his latest estimate is of unallocated departmental spending in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07, and (c) 2007–08; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 2 February 2005, Official Report, column 910W.

TRANSPORT

Bolton Transport Infrastructure

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Oral answers to the hon. Members for Leigh (Andy Burnham) and Wigan (Mr. Turner) of 1 February 2005, Official Report, columns 699–700, for what schemes transport infrastructure funding will be available in the Bolton South East constituency.

Charlotte Atkins: The transport infrastructure funding is available for integrated transport capital schemes. Within Bolton, it will be for Greater Manchester PTE, in partnership with Bolton borough council, to determine for which schemes the funding will be used. Previous similar funding has been used, for example, to support bus-related highway improvements.

Departmental Policies

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Burnley constituency, the effects on Burnley of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department has put in place a considerable programme of improvements across a wide range of transport policy areas since 1997. I am confident that the Burnley constituency will have benefited from these. For example, the injury totals for all road causalities in Great Britain fell from 327,803 in 1997 to 290,607 in 2003, and the numbers of children aged under 16 years killed or seriously injured on our roads fell from 6,452 in 1997 to 4,100 in 2003. On our railways, passenger kilometres have increased from 32.1billion in 1996–97 to 40.9 billion in 2003–04, a rise of 27 per cent. In terms of improvements to air quality, emissions of the UK's two main pollutants—nitrous oxides and particles—fell by 31 per cent. and 27 per cent. respectively between 1997 and 2002.
	The funding provided directly to Lancashire county council since 1997 is shown in the following table 1 . It has been for Lancashire to determine how that allocation has been spent, in line with its local transport plan and its priorities.
	1 Funding allocations for 1997–98 not included since they cover a period proceeding May 1997 and announcements concerning the 1997–98 allocations were made in 1996.
	
		Lancashire county council -- £ million
		
			 Nature of funding 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Capital Maintenance 3.984 3.048 6.096 16.630 17.782 13.337 16.176 
			 Integrated Block 2.203 3.833 4.200 11.200 11.922 12.051 13.033 
			 Major schemes 0.968 2.800 0.636 — 1.026 — — 
			 Targeted bus grants(30) 1.233 1.139 1.411 2.212 1.575 3.777 1.238 
			 Total 8.338 10.82 12.343 30.042 32.305 29.165 30.447 
		
	
	(30)Includes Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus challenge funding
	In addition, since 1997 the Burnley constituency has benefited from major improvements to strategic infrastructure, for example the South Ribble M65 Interface scheme has been completed.
	Finally, the Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood. statistics.gov.uk./. In addition, the Department for Transport's website also contains data on transport trends over the past 20 years at http://www.dft.gov.uk.

Departmental Policies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Pendle constituency, the effects on Pendle of his Department's policies and activities since 2 May 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department has put in place a considerable programme of improvements across a wide range of transport policy areas since 1997. I am confident that the Pendle constituency will have benefited from these. For example, the injury totals for all road causalities in Great Britain fell from 327,803 in 1997 to 290,607 in 2003, and the numbers of children aged under 16 years killed or seriously injured on our roads fell from 6,452 in 1997 to 4,100 in 2003. On our railways, passenger kilometres have increased from 32.1billion in 1996–97 to 40.9 billion in 2003–04, a rise of 27 per cent. In terms of improvements to air quality, emissions of the UK's two main pollutants—nitrous oxides and particles—fell by 31 per cent. and 27 per cent. respectively between 1997 and 2002.
	The funding provided directly to Lancashire county council since 1997 is shown in the following table 1 . It has been for Lancashire to determine how that allocation has been spent, in line with its local transport plan and its priorities.
	1 Funding allocations for 1997–98 not included since they cover a period proceeding May 1997 and announcements concerning the 1997–98 allocations were made in 1996.
	
		Lancashire county council -- £ million
		
			 Nature of funding 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Capital Maintenance 3.984 3.048 6.096 16.630 17.782 13.337 16.176 
			 Integrated Block 2.203 3.833 4.200 11.200 11.922 12.051 13.033 
			 Major schemes 0.968 2.800 0.636 — 1.026 — — 
			 Targeted bus grants(31) 1.233 1.139 1.411 2.212 1.575 3.777 1.238 
			 Total 8.338 10.82 12.343 30.042 32.305 29.165 30.447 
		
	
	(31)Includes Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus challenge funding.
	In addition, since 1997 the Pendle constituency has benefited from major improvements to strategic infrastructure, for example the South Ribble M65 Interface scheme has been completed.
	Finally, the Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood. statistics.gov.uk./. In addition, the Department for Transport's website also contains data on transport trends over the past 20 years at http://www.dft.gov.uk.

Departmental Policies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Hemsworth constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on Hemsworth constituency.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department has put in place a considerable programme of improvements across a wide range of transport policy areas since 1997. I am confident that the Hemsworth constituency will have benefited from these. For example, the injury totals for all road causalities in Great Britain fell from 327,803 in 1997 to 290,607 in 2003, and the numbers of children aged under 16 years killed or seriously injured on our roads fell from 6,452 in 1997 to 4,100 in 2003. On our railways, passenger kilometres have increased from 32.1billion in 1996–97 to 40.9 billion in 2003–04, a rise of 27 per cent. In terms of improvements to air quality, emissions of the UK's two main pollutants—nitrous oxides and particles—fell by 31 per cent. and 27 per cent. respectively between 1997 and 2002.
	The funding provided directly to City of Wakefield council since 1997 is shown in the following table 1 . It has been for City of Wakefield to determine how that allocation has been spent, in line with the local transport plan for West Yorkshire and the local priorities.
	1 Funding allocations for 1997–98 not included since they cover a period proceeding May 1997 and announcements concerning the 1997–98 allocations were made in 1996.
	
		City of Wakefield -- £ million
		
			 Nature of funding 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Capital Maintenance 1.404 1.752 4.608 2.860 3.762 4.190 4.292 
			 Integrated Block 1.086 1.130  2.900 3.095 2.910 2.931 
			 Major schemes — — — — — — — 
			 Targeted bus grants(32) 0.920 0.764 1.473 2.385 2.050 2.773 0.980 
			 Total 3.41 3.646 6.081 8.145 8.907 9.873 8.203 
		
	
	(32)Includes Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus challenge funding.
	The Hemsworth constituency is likely to benefit from further improvements to strategic infrastructure. Funding support for the Hemsworth to Al and the Glasshoughton Coalfields link roads has been provisionally approved.
	Finally, the Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood. statistics.gov.uk/. In addition, the Department for Transport's website also contains data on transport trends over the past 20 years at http://www.dft.gov.uk.

Departmental Policies

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on North Durham constituency of his Department's policies since June 2001.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department has put in place a considerable programme of improvements across a wide range of transport policy areas since 1997. I am confident that the North Durham constituency will have benefited from these. For example, the injury totals for all road causalities in Great Britain fell from 327,803 in 1997 to 290,607 in 2003, and the numbers of children aged under 16 years killed or seriously injured on our roads fell from 6,452 in 1997 to 4,100 in 2003. On our railways, passenger kilometres have increased from 32.1billion in 1996–7 to 40.9 billion in 2003–04, a rise of 27 per cent. In terms of improvements to air quality, emissions of the UK's two main pollutants—nitrous oxides and particles—fell by 31 per cent. and 27 per cent. respectively between 1997 and 2002.
	The funding provided directly to Durham county council since 2001 is shown in the following table 1 . It has been for Durham to determine how that allocation has been spent, in line with its local transport plan and its priorities.
	1 Funding allocations for 2000–01 not included since they cover a period proceeding June 1997.
	
		Durham county council -- £ million
		
			 Nature of funding 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Capital Maintenance 8.555 9.103 8.008 9.357 
			 Integrated Block 5.397 6.440 8.054 7.895 
			 Major schemes 1.955 6.117 1.007 8.103 
			 Targeted bus grants(33) 1.713 1.626 0.902 0.929 
			 Total 17.62 23.286 17.971 26.284 
		
	
	(33)Includes Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus challenge funding.
	Finally, the Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood. statistics.gov.uk./. In addition, the Department for Transport's website also contains data on transport trends over the past 20 years at http://www.dft.gov.uk.

Disabled Access to Transport

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding has been made available to improve disabled access transport services in Coventry, South.

Charlotte Atkins: Coventry city council and Centro receive funding for transport schemes through the joint West Midlands Local Transport Plan (LTP). The most up to date information we have is taken from the LTP Annual Progress Report for 2003–04. Excluding maintenance, the allocation to the West Midlands LTP for that year was £51 million of which Coventry's share was £5.251 million.
	The Annual Progress Report does not specify spending in particular areas but it shows that £70,000 was spent specifically on miscellaneous facilities for the disabled across the city. Most of this would have involved the provision of facilities such as dropped kerbing. However, many other highway improvement and bus corridor schemes would routinely include provision for the disabled. For instance improvements to traffic signals, where these include works to pedestrian facilities, would also involve measures such as tactile paving and audible warnings.
	Last year we gave approval to a £28.8 million funding contribution to the Coventry Primelines major scheme, which aims to improve bus services throughout the city. Three corridors in your constituency will be upgraded as part of the scheme. Works will include the provision of level boarding and improved shelters at 170 stops at a total cost of about £800,000 over the next three years.
	In addition, the West Midlands Special Needs Transport charity provides a Ring and Ride service throughout the metropolitan area. Centro provide an annual grant in the region of £8.5 million to the charity.

Driving Offences

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  which Minister in his Department approved for publication the document Review of Road Traffic Offences involving Bad Driving;
	(2)  on what date and at what time copies of the published version of the Review of Road Traffic Offences involving Bad Driving were received in his Department;
	(3)  on what date (a) he and (b) each Minister in his Department first saw a copy of the published version of the document, Review of Road Traffic Offences involving Bad Driving.

David Jamieson: The Secretary of State agreed to its publication through the relevant Cabinet Committee in the usual manner. Ministers were therefore fully aware of its contents prior to publication.
	Thereafter, the document was published by the Home Office at 9.30 am on Thursday 3 February. Copies were collected from the Home Office by Department for Transport officials at 9.15 am on Thursday 3 February 2005 and taken direct to the House of Commons where my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and I received them at the same time as members of the Standing Committee. The final document was provided to the offices of the Secretary of State and Minister of State subsequently.

Noise Pollution (Maidenhead)

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has conducted of the effect at different times of day of noise pollution from Heathrow airport in Maidenhead and the surrounding area.

Charlotte Atkins: Noise is continually monitored by BAA at 12 sites around the airport, including Dorney, to the south east of Maidenhead. Annual noise contours at Heathrow, which provide noise maps for a 16 hour day time period, are calibrated from mobile noise monitors and produced by the Civil Aviation Authority's Environmental Research Consultancy Department on behalf of the Department. These are published annually on the Department's website. They show that Maidenhead lies beyond the 57dBA contour area normally considered to represent the onset of significant community annoyance.
	The Department and its predecessors have commissioned a range of studies over the years about the effects of noise on annoyance and sleep disturbance at various times of day and night. These include the large-scale Aircraft Noise Index Study" (CAA DR Report 8402) in the early 1980s, which included fieldwork at Slough.
	On behalf of the Department, a consortium led by The MVA Consultancy is currently engaged in a major study of Attitudes to Noise from Aircraft Sources in England" (ANASE). As part of the extended pilot phase of this project, questionnaires about attitudes to noise at different times of day were trialled at a number of sites to the west of Heathrow, though not in Maidenhead itself. If this project proceeds to its second (major fieldwork and analysis) phase, sites will be sampled from a wide range of possible areas around Heathrow and other airports.

Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total expenditure by his Department on (a) advertising and (b) advertising and publicity was in (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98 and (iii) 2003–04; and what the estimate of cost of each will be in (A) 2004–05, (B)2005–06, (C) 2006–07 and (D) 2007–08.

Charlotte Atkins: Following departmental reorganisations, my Department no longer has responsibility for campaigns such as fire safety and the environment run by predecessor Departments. Therefore total advertising and publicity figures for 1996–98 could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	On road safety advertising however, we have increased our commitment substantially from £4.76 million and £4.48 million in 1996–97 and 1997–98 respectively to £10.1 million in 2003–04 in support of the THINK! road safety campaign.
	Expenditure by the Department for fiscal year 2003–04 and estimates for the current and future years' expenditure on advertising and advertising and publicity are set out in the following table, where currently available.
	
		£ million
		
			  2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 
		
		
			 (a) Advertising expenditure:   
			 DfT Central 10.4 9.8 10 10 n/a 
			 DfT Agencies 10.43 8.3 n/a n/a n/a 
			   
			 (b) Advertising and publicity:   
			 DfT Central 16.4 16.1 16 16 n/a 
			 DfT Agencies 17.0 15.6 15.5 12.3 n/a 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	The majority of Executive Agency advertising spend above is attributable to DVLA. The Agencies' publicity spend figure however includes a component of advertising, given some agencies, who do not advertise much, charge advertising and publicity to the same accounting code.

Rural Transport

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2005, Official Report, column 1038W, on rural transport, if he will set out with statistical information that relates as closely as possible to (a) Warrington South constituency, (b) Warrington and (c) Cheshire, what initiatives his Department has introduced since 2001 to support transport provision in rural areas.

Charlotte Atkins: In the period since 2001 we have made available awards to both Warrington borough council and Cheshire county council under the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) and the Rural Bus Challenge (RBC) schemes. The totals for the period 2000–01 to 2004–05 are shown in the following table.
	
		£
		
			 Authority RBSG RBC 
		
		
			 Warrington borough council 419,859 0 
			 Cheshire county council 4,153,367 2,118,000 
		
	
	The initiatives which I mentioned in my previous answer on support for community transport, steps to make it easier to provide demand responsive bus services and the introduction of accessibility planning of course apply in these areas as elsewhere.

Solent Secondary Surveillance Radar

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures his Department has taken to ensure that the Solent Secondary Surveillance Radar is repaired; when he expects it to be functioning again; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: This is a matter for the equipment owners, National Air Traffic Services Limited and the Civil Aviation Authority, the independent aviation regulator.

TOC Subsidies

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what gross subsidies were paid to each train operating company in each year since 199596.

Tony McNulty: Franchise payments to and from each train operating company for each year since 199596 are included in the Strategic Rail Authority's 200304 Annual Report, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bangladesh

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the persecution of religious minorities, specifically Christians, in Bangladesh;
	(2)  he will make representations to the Government of Bangladesh about recent allegations of abuse against Hindus.

Douglas Alexander: We continue to be concerned about the situation of religious minorities, including Hindus and Christians, in Bangladesh. I raised these concerns with the Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, on 21 December during a visit to Dhaka. We regularly raise issues of religious persecution and intolerance with the Bangladeshi authorities, both bilaterally and with EU colleagues. We urge them to ensure minorities are suitably protected, that all incidents are promptly and fully investigated, that the perpetrators of crimes against religious minorities are brought to justice and that firm action is taken against incitement. We shall continue to do so.

Burma

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps (a) the Government and (b) the EU are taking to tackle human rights abuses by the military junta in Burma.

Douglas Alexander: The UK works closely with its EU partners to promote human rights in Burma.
	Human rights violations have been highlighted in successive EU co-sponsored resolutions on Burma in the United Nations General Assembly and in the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
	The UK played a key role in drafting last year's UN General Assembly Human Rights Resolution on Burma. The Resolution, adopted by the UN in December, condemned the many human rights abuses in the country, including against ethnic groups.
	I met the Burmese Ambassador on 29 November 2004 and pressed for political reform in Burma, full respect for human rights and the need for all groups in Burma, including ethnic nationalities, to play a full part in national reconciliation.
	We will continue to raise our concerns.

China

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the policy of the Chinese Government of returning North Korean refugees.

Denis MacShane: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs gave to the hon. Member for Gloucester (Mr. Dhanda) on 7 February 2005, Official Report, column 1310W.

Cyprus

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the United States Administration on its policy on the requirement of the European Union that there will need to be official recognition of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkey; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Since the EU's decision to open EU accession negotiations with Turkey on December 17, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not personally discussed relations between Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus with the United States Administration. However, our officials maintain regular contact with the United States on all matters relating to the East Mediterranean.
	Recognition of the Republic of Cyprus is not a requirement for opening or conducting accession negotiations with Turkey. But the Foreign Secretary and I have made it clear that a situation in which there are two member states of the EU who do not recognise each other is unthinkable.

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how much was paid to consultants carrying out staff surveys in the Department in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the cost of staff surveys in the Department was in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office carried out staff surveys in 1997 and 1999, covering all UK based staff, and in 2004 covering all UK based staff and those employed locally by our Embassies and High Commissions overseas. The total expenditure on these three surveys was 85,394. Of this, consultants' costs were 30,000 for the 1999 staff survey, 25,917 for the 2001 staff survey, and 19,463 for the 2004 staff survey. The remaining costs of 10,014 relate to printing and associated costs.

European Constitution

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 26 January 2005, Official Report, column 427W, on the European Constitution, what the names and proposed budgets are for (a) the PR agency, (b) partnership marketing and (c) e-communications organisations engaged by his Department to promote the European Constitution.

Denis MacShane: The information is as follows:
	(a) The name of the PR agency appointed is Geronimo PR. The proposed budget for this contract is 40,000.
	(b) A partnership marketing agency has not yet been appointed. The proposed budget for partnership marketing is 20,000.
	(c) An agency for e-communications has not yet been appointed. The proposed budget for e-communications is 80,000. All of this activity is part of normal work to provide information to the UK public about the EU.

European Constitution

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the Government's implementation of Article IV-444 of the EU Constitution;
	(2)  if he will explain the Government's intendedprocedures for parliamentary ratification of decisions taken by the European Council on the basis of paragraphs 1 or 2 of Article IV-444 of the EU Constitution.

Denis MacShane: Clause 2 of the European Union Bill creates a requirement that any initiative for a decision to amend the Treaty made under Article IV-444 must be approved by Parliament in order for it to be recognised in domestic law. The House of Lords will be granted a minimum of 20 sitting days to consider any proposed change and deliver an opinion to the House of Commons. Parliamentary approval will then be signified by approval of a resolution by the House of Commons.

European Constitution

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he sought legal advice regarding the impact of the Charter of Fundamental Rights within the EU Constitution on industrial relations law in the UK.

Denis MacShane: Legal advice is routinely sought on EU matters that could potentially have an impact on the UK.

European Constitution

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the impact of the Charter of Fundamental Rights within the EU Constitution on industrial relations law in the UK.

Denis MacShane: I refer my hon. Friend to the written statement that my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made on the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights on 9 September 2004, Official Report, columns 133136WS, which made it clear that the Charter will have no practical impact upon UK industrial relations law or the rights of UK workers.
	The provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms are addressed to the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the European Union with due regard to the principle of subsidiarity, and to the member states only when they are implementing Union Law. The Charter does not extend the scope of application of Union Law beyond the existing powers of the Union or establish any new power or task for the Union. Nor does it modify powers and tasks defined in the other parts of the Constitutional Treaty, which specifically excludes EU action on legislative areas such as pay, the right of association, the right to strike and the right to impose lock-outs.

General Affairs and External Relations Council

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the General Affairs and External Relations Council held on 31 January and 1 February; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The information is as follows:
	Outcome of 31 January/1 February 2005 General Affairs and External Relations Council
	I represented the UK at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) in Brussels on 31 January/1 February in the absence of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary. John Grant (UK Permanent Representative to the EU) accompanied me.
	Conclusions were agreed on the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP), Iraq, Ukraine, tsunami, Cuba, Western Balkans, and Sudan.
	General affairs session
	Annual programme of the Council (2005)/annual work programme of the European Commission
	The Council held a short public discussion on the Annual Operational Programme (AOP) of the Council for 2005. The debate concentrated on the identified priorities: negotiations on the financial framework for the budget of the EU during the period 200713; the Lisbon strategy; freedom, justice and security; and the launching of the preliminary works for the application, after its ratification, of the treaty establishing a constitution for Europe. The AOP was previously discussed and agreed at the December GAERC. Copies are available in the Library of the House. The Council also took note of the programme of work of the new European Commission which was presented by Jose Barroso, President of the European Commission. The Council was pleased with the Commissions priorities which were developed through close co-operation between the presidency, the Commission and the European Parliament.
	Future financing 200713
	Based on a questionnaire submitted by the Luxembourg presidency to member states, Ministers discussed cohesion policy for 200713. As in previous debates on future financing the Government argued that the Commission's proposals for real terms spending increases of 35 per cent. from 2007 to 2013 are unrealistic and unacceptable. We, along with France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Sweden, believe that the priorities of an enlarged Union can be met within a budget of 1 per cent. EU gross national income. This is sufficient to meet the challenge of cohesion provided that resources are focused on prioritiesnamely the poorest member states. The next meeting of the GAERC on 21 February will discuss competitiveness for growth and employment.
	External relations session
	MEPP
	The Council welcomed the holding of the Palestinian presidential elections and expressed its appreciation to Israel for the measures taken to facilitate the electoral process. The Council presented its congratulations to President Abbas and expressed its desire to work with him and his Prime Minister to implement the road map. In this context, the Council will develop the short-term action plan adopted by the European Council in November 2004. The UK briefed the Council on the London Meeting, which will take place on 1 March. The London Meeting is designed to offer the international community an opportunity to support the efforts of the Palestinian President.
	Iraq
	The Council discussed Sunday's election in Iraq and paid tribute to the courage and resolve of the Iraqis who voted despite the difficult security circumstances. The electoral turnout demonstrated the overwhelming importance that the Iraqi people attach to democracy and the rule of law. The Government share this view. This election was an important step on the road to democracy, freedom and peace for the Iraqi people. Recognition was paid to the enormous efforts made by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, as well as local observers, the Iraqi Interim Government, and the UN. The Council reaffirmed its will to continue, together with the rest of the international community, to support the Iraqi transition process leading to a constitutionally elected government. The European Commission reported that it was ready to send experts to help with the constitution if requested to do so by the Iraqis.
	Cuba
	The Council had an exchange of views on its policy towards Cuba. Ministers reasserted the importance of encouraging a process of transition towards democratic pluralism and respect for human rights as well as fundamental freedoms in Cuba. The Council reaffirmed its commitment to constructive dialogue with the Cuban authorities so as to achieve tangible results in political and economic areas and the sphere of human rights. Furthermore, the Council decided to develop more intense relations with the peaceful political opposition and with broader layers of Cuban civil society through enhanced and more regular dialogue. The Government were pleased to have an agreed EU policy which will, on the one hand, help us to strengthen our dialogue with the peaceful opposition and, on the other, normalise relations with the Cuban Government.
	Ukraine
	The Council held a discussion of the political situation in Ukraine and the EU's relations with Ukraine. The Council was pleased with the conduct of the re-run of the second round of the presidential election and welcomed the election of the new President. The Council also welcomed the extensive and ambitious political and economic programme that President Yushchenko plans to carry out in Ukraine during his term. The Council looks forward to being able to launch at the 21 February EU-Ukraine Cooperation Council, the action plan negotiated in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy. The action plan will pave the way for enhanced cooperation between the EU and the Ukraine. In this context, the Council welcomed the letter from High Representative Solana and Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner, consisting of 10 concrete steps to strengthen cooperation between the EU and Ukraine. The Council will examine these proposed steps and return to the issue at its next meeting on 21 February.
	Tsunami
	The Council introduced an action plan to coordinate the initiatives that the European Union and its member states are to take following the tsunami to deal effectively with the consequences of such events today and in the future. The action plan outlines possible actions to address this type of disaster or similar disasters from the standpoint of a better use of existing instruments, possibilities for developing a rapid response capacity for the Union (planning, coordinating and resource mobilisation structure), and stronger consular cooperation in favour of the citizens of Europe. The presidency tasked the relevant committees with taking the work forward. The Government welcomed the presidency's action plan and looks forward to discussing ideas further with partners and the Commission.
	Western Balkans
	Enlargement Commissioner Rehn briefed Ministers on the current state of Croatia's compliance with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He reported that Croatia is not cooperating fully with ICTY. High Representative Solana expressed concern at the current situation in Serbia and Montenegro. Ministers adopted Conclusions stressing the need for greater ICTY cooperation across the region and support for the actions of Lord Ashdown in December to encourage Republika Srpska to cooperate with ICTY. The Government support this assessment.
	Sudan
	High Representative Solana welcomed the successful conclusion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), and the improving EU relationship with the African Union (AU). However, the Council expressed concern over the recent bombardment of several villages in Darfur by the Sudanese Air Force. The Council condemned these attacks. The Council reiterated its call to respect the ceasefire of N'Djamena and the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council. The Government welcome the signature of CPA. It is vital that the international community now supports the parties in implementing the terms of the agreement. The international community also needs to remain focused on Darfur, where both sides continue to violate the ceasefire. The Government believe that the EU should start actively to consider a range of possible targeted sanctions, which are balanced and effective.
	AOBEU/Africa dialogue
	Portugal informed the Council of its continued contacts with African countries over the strengthening of the EU-Africa dialogue and in particular the organisation of a second Europe-Africa Summit. The presidency highlighted that the lack of progress in Zimbabwe meant that the EU was not yet in a position to consider a summit. The Government agreed with this assessment.
	AOBeffective multilateralism
	Sweden called for the Council to consider how it could support the UN High Level Panel (HLP), and how it could be more effective in contributing to the international Rule of Law. The presidency noted that the relevant committees were looking at the HLP recommendations.
	AOBLatvia/Russia
	Latvia stressed the importance of a resolution to the current border disputes between Latvia and Russia before the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the EU-Russia Summit to be held in Moscow in May 2005.

Iraq

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many citizens have been killed as a result of military action by coalition forces in Iraq since April 2002.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Armed Forces (Mr. Ingram) to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Walton (Mr. Kilfoyle) on 27 January 2005 Official Report, column 541W and to the reply my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Rammell) gave to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith) on 10 January Official Report, column 23 W. Additionally, the Iraqi Ministry of Health released a statement on 28 January 2005, which stated that their latest records from July to December 2004, taken from some 180 hospitals, show that 2,041 Iraqis were killed as a result of 'military action'. The statement explained that:
	Casualties of car bombs and other clearly identifiable terrorist attacks are recorded as being caused by terrorist incidents. All other casualties are recorded as military action. The casualties may include insurgents, civilians as well as Iraqi police who are treated in Ministry of Health hospitals. The casualties may have been killed or injured by terrorist or coalition forces. Coalition forces include Iraqi police, Iraqi security forces, and the Multi-National forces.

Iraq

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) officials in his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with members and representatives of (i) the US Administration, (ii) the Governments of the EU member states and (iii) the Iraqi interim authority concerning Turkey's concerns over the (1)run-up to and (2) outcome of the elections in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: We discuss Iraq regularly with our international partners, including the impact of developments in Iraq on Iraq's neighbours. We enjoy a very good dialogue with the Turkish Government on Iraq and are well aware of Turkey's views and concerns. Turkey's Foreign Minister on 31 January welcomed the Iraqi elections as a step taken on the road to the establishment of a democratic regime in Iraq.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made concerning the ill treatment of prisoners by the Iraq forces in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Government are engaged in a continuous dialogue with the Iraqi Government about the need to respect human rights. We are offering support to the Human Rights Ministry in Baghdad and through a team of prison officers and police experts in Basra to advise and mentor their Iraqi colleagues in better prison management in the South of Iraq.
	We welcome the recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on Iraq and its recommendations on areas where more work needs to be done by the Iraqi authorities, by the international community and by Non-Governmental Organisations to prevent ill-treatment of prisoners in Iraqi detention facilities. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Human Rights in Iraq, my hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) raised our concerns, and the issues contained in the HRW report, with the head of the Southern Iraq Office of the Ministry of Human Rights while she was in Basra on 1 February. She also raised this with the Iraqi Minister of Human Rights, Bakhtiar Amin.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what categorisation system the Iraqi Ministry of Health uses to calculate casualty figures in Iraq.

Denis MacShane: The Iraqi Ministry of Health released a statement on 28 January 2005, which explained that: Casualties of car bombs and other clearly identifiable terrorist attacks are recorded as being caused by terrorist incidents. All other casualties are recorded as military action. The casualties may include insurgents, civilians as well as Iraqi police who are treated in Ministry of Health hospitals. The casualties may have been killed or injured by terrorist or coalition forces. Coalition forces include Iraqi police, Iraqi security forces, and the Multi-National forces.

Nepal

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage the restoration of multi-party democracy in Nepal.

Douglas Alexander: On 1 February, I summoned the Nepalese Ambassador to convey my grave concern over developments and to press for the early restoration of multi-party democracy. Later the same day, I issued a public statement calling for the immediate restoration of multi-party democracy and setting out my great concern at the steps taken by the King. Our Ambassador in Nepal is due to make similar representations to the King. The EU also made a statement along similar lines with input from the UK. The UK is currently considering, in consultation with our international partners, what further action we might take.

Nepal

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) weaponry, (b) military training and (c) other military equipment the UK Government have provided to the army of Nepal in the last five years.

Douglas Alexander: The UK has not supplied any lethal weaponry to the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) in the last five years. The UK has, however, gifted the following non-lethal military equipment.
	
		
			  
		
		
			 2X2 Tonne ultra light dumper trucks 2000 
			 35XLand rovers 2002 
			 2XMi17 helicopters 2003 
			 Load carrying equipment for MISG 2003 
			 l0XMk7 bomb disposal wheelbarrows 2003 
			 Infrastructure support to RNA Intelligence School 200304 
			 Office equipment for RNA Intelligence School 200304 
			 Infrastructure support to RNA Peacekeeping School 200304 
			 IED search equipment 200304 
			 Radios and night vision goggles for MISG 200304 
			 2XIslander STOL aircraft and associated intelligence equipment 2004 
			 Revolution IED wheelbarrow 2004 
			 Engine spare parts for Ferret Scout Cars 2004 
			 English language training facility for RNA Peacekeeping School 200405 
		
	
	The UK has also provided three categories of military training as follows:
	Routine Training. The UK has traditionally sent two RNA cadets to the Royal Military Academy each year. On passing out, these cadets then attend the Platoon Commanders' Battle Course run by the School of Infantry. In addition, an RNA major attends the Joint Services' Staff College each year at Shrivenham. Young officers have attended the Jungle Warfare Course in Brunei in the pastthese courses are now conducted in Belize (a team of 6 RNA officers attended this course in 2004). The RNA also has one vacancy every three years at the Royal College of Defence Studies. This course is usually attended by a brigadier general.
	Specialist Training on UK Courses. Since the deployment of the RNA against the Maoist insurgency, RNA officers have attended specialist courses in the UK. These include the Royal Engineer Troop Commanders' Course, Counter-Terrorist Search courses, Ammunition Technical Officers' courses (bomb disposal), Counter-Terrorist Bomb Disposal courses and the International Intelligence Directors' courses.
	Tailored Training for the RNA. Training courses have been specifically run for RNA students in both the UK and Nepal since their deployment on operations against the Maoists. These have included training of Military intelligence Support Group personnel and basic counter-insurgency training.
	All military training given to RNA students includes instruction on the Rules of War, including training on human rights and the Geneva Convention.

Nepal

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with (a) EU partners and (b) India regarding (i) Maoist insurgency in Nepal, (ii) the recent breakdown in multi-party democracy and (iii) the possibility of UN mediation between the Nepalese King, politicians and Maoists.

Douglas Alexander: We have a regular dialogue with India and with EU partners regarding the situation in Nepal. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary have raised the issue with their Indian counterparts in the new administration and the UK Special Representative for Nepal, SirJeffrey James, visits India several times a year. The Foreign Secretary raised Nepal with EU partners at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in June 2004 and it is regularly discussed in committee at official level. After the King assumed direct control of the country on 1 February the EU issued a statement with input from the UK. We have been in regular contact with the Indians following last week's actions by the King. We will continue to work to encourage all democratic forces in Nepal to work together.

Nepal

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to advise (a) UK citizens in Nepal and (b) their families in the UK of the changing political and security situation in that country; and what assistance is being provided.

Douglas Alexander: The British Embassy in Kathmandu is providing a normal consular service to the British Community, visitors and tourists in Nepal. However, telephone communications in the country remain limited. The Embassy also operates a warden system, to maintain contact with members of the British Community. Embassy staff are answering by email enquiries from British nationals. We continue to keep the travel advice under regular review.

Nepal

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the strength and the military capabilities of Maoist insurgents in Nepal and (b) the threat they pose to the Nepalese monarchy; and what steps the Government have taken to assist Nepal in tackling the insurgents.

Douglas Alexander: The Nepalese Maoists' influence now extends to much of Nepal. In the past year they have demonstrated that they are able to organise and carry out occasional large scale military attacks (it is estimated with 5,000 or more men). They have carried out bombing campaigns in Kathmandu and have assassinated senior security force and political figures
	We have consistently held that the topography and capabilities of the Maoists and the security forces are such that military victory by either side, if achievable, would not bring about an acceptable lasting democratic solution to the problems Nepal faces.
	The UK has been providing a wide ranging and integrated package of assistance to Nepal, partly through the Department for International Development programme and using funds from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP). This assistance has ranged from development assistance aimed at tackling the underlying causes of poverty, social injustice and conflict in the country to the provision of non-lethal military assistance to the Royal Nepalese Army (UNA). The military assistance was particularly aimed at boosting the RNA's intelligence gathering capability and selective training, including on human rights. Money from the GCPP has also been used to fund the Peace Secretariat, a body of civil servants connected to the Prime Minister's Office and tasked with identifying political solutions to the conflict.

Nuclear Weapons

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings John Freeman, UK Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, has had with non-governmental organisations in respect of the forthcoming review conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty; what matters were raised by each organisation; and what steps the Government plans as a result of the meetings.

Denis MacShane: John Freeman met representatives of the Mayors for Peace organisation on 21 January 2005 to discuss Government policy and issues relevant to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty review conference. On 24 January 2005, he chaired a roundtable meeting attended by representatives of 12 non-governmental organisations for further discussions on these issues. Those represented at the roundtable meeting were: Abolition 2000, Acronym Institute/Disarmament Diplomacy, British American Security Information Council, Christian CND, CND, Oxford Research Group, Peace and Security Liaison Group, Pugwash, Quaker Peace and Social Witness, VERTIC, Weapons of Mass Destruction Awareness Programme, and World Court Project. A presentation was also given at this meeting on behalf of the Nuclear Issues Working Group and Peace and Security Liaison Group, umbrellagroups for a number of non-governmental organisations.
	There is an understanding that comments made during these meetings between officials and non-governmental organisations are not attributed but, in each case, those attending took the opportunity to discuss a range of issues about the international non-proliferation and disarmament regime and possible outcomes at the review conference. The points made in the meetings will be considered as part of the dialogue with non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Further meetings will be held during the conference between officials and the representatives of NGOs attending.

Pakistan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Pakistan about Mrs.Hanifan Bibi.

Douglas Alexander: We are aware of the attack on Mrs.Hanifan Bibi in January this year. Although we have made no representations to the Pakistani authorities regarding this particular incident, the British Government continues to take a serious view of all aspects of religious intolerance and discrimination in Pakistan. We continue to raise our concerns with the Pakistani authorities on issues such as this and other Human Rights concerns in concert with our EU partners, most recently in December 2004.

Rio Tinto/Mittal Steel

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the actions and interests of Rio Tinto or Mittal Steel have been brought to his or his Department's attention since January 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: Rio Tinto has been involved in a number of Corporate Social Responsibility activities, including the UK-US led Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. The company is also actively involved in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the UN Global Compact, in whose UK Forum the company participates.
	In addition, Rio Tinto is, like other UK companies, in periodic contact with officials at our overseas missions concerning existing and possible future investment projects, in, for example, Latin America and Africa. The details of these contacts are subject to commercial confidence.
	During Romania's EU accession negotiations, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was kept informed of discussions about Romania's steel industry, which included Mittal Steel.

Saddam Hussein

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether officials of the UK Government have visited Saddam Hussein since he has been in custody; what reports he has received on (a) Saddam Hussein's health and (b) the prison conditions in which Saddam Hussein is being held; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Saddam Hussein was transferred into the Iraqi criminal justice system on 1 July 2004, and is currently awaiting trial. At the request of Prime Minster Allawi, the US will maintain physical custody of Saddam Hussein until such time as the Iraqi Correctional Service is able to provide for his safe and secure detention.
	UK Government officials have not visited Saddam Hussein but the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has regular access to him. The ICRC would raise any concerns it has about Saddam Hussein's health and conditions of detention in confidential reports to the US and Iraqi authorities.

Singapore

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Singapore Authorities to encourage them not to agree to restrictions on their right to sign international environmental agreements as a condition of a bilateral US trade agreement.

Douglas Alexander: None.

Tim Spicer

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions on which his Department's staff have met Tim Spicer in the past 24 months in their official capacity, broken down by date; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 16 December 2004
	Our records indicate that in 2003 officials met Tim Spicer once overseas, and that during 2004 there were two meetings in the UK and six overseas. We are not aware of any meetings during 2005.

Turkey

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the number of (a) allegations of police mistreatment, (b) charges brought against police officers and (c) dismissals of police officers following allegations of mistreatment in each year since 1997 in Turkey; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Our Embassy in Ankara monitors the human rights situation in Turkey closely, including implementation of the Turkish Government's reforms introduced to eradicate torture.
	According to NGO statistics, the number of allegations of police mistreatment for 2003 increased compared to previous years. However, NGOs attributed this to a greater inclination to report incidents of torture rather than an actual increase in the number of incidents. In the first six months of 2004 the Turkish NGO, the Human Rights Association, recorded 202 allegations of torture arid ill treatment under police custody compared with 818 in the whole of 2003. The European Commission's 2004 Progress Report on Turkey states that:
	the Government's serious efforts to implement the legislative reforms have lead to a decline in instances of torture.
	We believe that the number of police officers charged with mistreatment, and the number who have been dismissed following allegations of mistreatment has risen, but the numbers of cases opened and the number of successful prosecutions remains very low.
	There is growing evidence of improved implementation of the Turkish Government's reforms introduced to eradicate torture. However, allegations of torture continue, and it is clear that more needs to be done.

Turkey

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the death toll in Turkey in each year since 1984 due directly to (a) Kurdish action, (b) Government action aimed at Kurdish groups and (c) other violent causes; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Figures released by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicate that more than 30,000 people have died as a result of terrorist activities perpetrated by the Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK/KADEK/KONGRA-GEL) since 1984. Press and NGO estimates of the number of fatalities that have resulted from the conflict in the South East of Turkey range between 30,000 and 40,000.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made no independent assessment of these figures.

Turkey

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the statement released on 25 January by the Turkish Human Rights Association Ynsan Haklari DerneDy regarding the number of honour killings in Turkey; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Turkish Human Rights Association (HRA) released a press statement on 18 January detailing four separate cases of honour killings. In the statement the HRA called on state officials to take all necessary measures to stop honour killings and to protect women.
	The Turkish Government's domestic reform programme has strengthened the rights of women in Turkey. The Turkish Government adopted a new Penal Code in September 2004 that removes sentence reductions for honour killings. The last few months have seen several landmark sentences handed down for honour killings. The Turkish Government passed a new Municipalities Law in December 2004 requiring municipalities to open shelters for women in communities of more than 50,000 people, and a package of constitutional amendments was passed in May 2004 that confirms equality between men and women.
	The Turkish Government's commitment to address honour crimes and ensure the full protection of women's rights was demonstrated by their decision to co-table with the UK a successful resolution in the UN General Assembly on 'honour crimes'.
	According to Ka-Mer (Turkey's largest women's NGO) at least 200 females are murdered by their families in Turkey each year. Accurate official statistics do not exist, as police records do not show whether 'honour' was a contributing factor in a murder.

United States

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent talks with Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

Douglas Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Washington on 24 January to say farewell to the outgoing Secretary of State, Colin Powell. During his visit he also had talks with other senior officials, including the then National Security Adviser, Dr. Rice. A wide range of subjects was discussed, including Iraq, the Middle East, Iran and the EU/China Arms Embargo.
	These same topics were discussed when Dr. Rice called on the Foreign Secretary in London on 4 February, in her new role as Secretary of State.

Vietnam

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Vietnamese Government about the recent detention of six Mennonite pastors and the allegations of torture that they made on their release.

Douglas Alexander: The EU is in contact with the Vietnamese authorities about the case of Reverend Nguyen Hong Quang and is seeking permission for EU representatives to attend his appeal hearing in Ho Chi Minh City. The EU also continues to follow developments in the cases of his Mennonite colleagues with close interest.
	We are concerned by the allegations made by the Mennonite prisoners in Vietnam. We have not made representations to the Vietnamese authorities about these specific allegations. However, during the most recent EU-Vietnam dialogue meeting on human rights issues held on 17 December 2004 and attended by our Ambassador in Hanoi the detention and treatment of prisoners was among the concerns raised by the EU side.
	We also regularly raise our concerns on human rights issues bilaterally. We will continue to press the Vietnamese government to adhere to its international human rights obligations at every suitable opportunity.

Vietnam

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what technical support the UK has offered the Government of Vietnam to facilitate World Trade Organisation membership.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. MacShane) gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Chapman) on 2 December 2004, Official Report, column 229W.

HEALTH

Alcohol

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by his Department on (a) treating and (b) rehabilitating alcoholics in each of the last seven years.

Melanie Johnson: No information is routinely collected on this expenditure. A study by Alcohol Concern in 2002, and developed in the Prime Minister's strategy unit's paper, Alcohol Misuse: How much does it cost? (September 2003) gives an overall figure for treatment services of 96.1 million in 2002.

Ambulance Services/Trusts

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many paramedic ambulances are based in (a) Lancashire and (b) each constituency in Lancashire.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not collected centrally.

Ambulance Services/Trusts

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what minimum standards of service must be met before he approves the merger of ambulance trusts.

Rosie Winterton: There are no set standards, but as a general rule, before he approves the merger of any national health service trusts, the Secretary of State would need to be satisfied that appropriate consultation has been undertaken locally; any organisational changes are in the interests of patients and staff and would help improve performance against the requirements and standards set out in National Standards, Local Action and other relevant documents.

Avian Flu

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what preparations he has put in place to ensure that UK citizens are protected against the risk of contracting bird flu; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 7 February 2005
	There is no confirmed evidence of person-to-person spread of avian influenza in south-east Asia. Guidance for the national health service on the detection, diagnosis and treatment of potential cases of avian flu has been prepared by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), in collaboration with the Department, and is published on the HPA's website. Antiviral agents are available within the NHS for the treatment and prevention of infection.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has also published guidance on the handling of outbreaks of avian influenza in poultry. This includes advice to those who have either been involved in the slaughter of infected birds or who have had close contact with them.

Burns Units

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist burns services units there are in (a) the Greater London region and (b) each strategic health authority in London.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for primary care trusts to work in partnership with strategic health authorities and other stakeholders to ensure the provision of health services to meet the needs of their local populations.

Cancer Research

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission research into whether lycopene found in organic red ketchup is a useful agent against cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: Current evidence shows that people who eat relatively more fruit and vegetables have a lower risk of developing heart disease and some types of cancer. The Government have no plans for specific research on the potential benefits of lycopene in this regard.
	Tomatoes, whether organic or not, are a good source of lycopene. However, fruit and vegetables contain a range of other chemical compounds, including anti-oxidants such as vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and flavonoids. It is this combination, rather than any one particular component, which is thought to have a protective effect against certain diseases.
	Whatever the benefits of ketchup products in respect of lycopene, some contribute relatively high levels of salt and sugar to the diet. The Government continue to work with the food industry to increase the range of healthier options available to consumers.

Chorley Hospital

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive care beds were located in Chorley hospital in each of the last five years.

Melanie Johnson: The information is not collected in the format requested. The information shown in the table relates to the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Trust, which includes Chorley hospital. Data before 2002 relates to the two predecessor organisations (Chorley and South Ribble Trust and Preston Acute Hospital NHS Trust) which merged to form the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on 1 August 2002.
	
		
			  Number of intensive care beds 
		
		
			 30 September l999 11 
			 14 July 2000 12 
			 16 July 2001 13 
			 16 July 2002 14 
			 16 July 2003 14 
			 16 July 2004 14 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health statistics

Communicable Diseases (NHS Staff)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what tests for communicable diseases are conducted on those coming from abroad to work in the health service.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 1 February 2005
	Health care workers joining the national health service should have checks for tuberculosis, hepatitis B, varicella and rubella, including the provision of immunisation if appropriate.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of dental academic staff to take account of his undertaking to increase dental undergraduate places by an extra 170 per year.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 31 January 2005
	We have recurring funding, building up to 29 million per annum by 201011, to support the additional training places, which includes provision for the recruitment of more academic staff and enhancing the terms of service of existing staff. We are also working jointly with the Department for Education and Skills to address issues relating to the recruitment and retention of academic staff.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards recruiting an extra 1,000 full-time dentists into the NHS by October 2005.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 31 January 2005
	Steady progress is being made towards the 1,000 whole-time equivalent dentists target by the end of October 2005.

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have signed up for the new dental contract to date; and what assessment his Department has made of the ages of those who have signed up.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 24 January 2005
	We are committed to introducing new contractual arrangements for national health service dentistry by April 2006. The new arrangements draw on experience from personal dental services (PDS) pilot schemes and dentists may gain advanced benefit of many aspects of the new arrangements by moving to PDS. Some 3,500 dentists in 1,300 dental practices are working under PDS arrangements and there are some 500 further practices with applications in the pipeline. When those applications have been approved there will be some 20 per cent. of practices in PDS. Information on the ages of these dentists is not held centrally.

Diabetes Treatment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the European Medicines Evaluation Agency's call for more clinical trials on analogues used in diabetes treatment;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the possible carcinogenic effect of analogues prescribed for diabetes;
	(3)  what his policy is on the mitogenic potency of insulin analogues.

Rosie Winterton: Insulins are known to have a weak mitogenic effect on some cells in cell culture. Before any licence is granted, a full and thorough review of all the available data takes place to ensure that the product is of appropriate standards of safety, quality and efficacy. The European regulatory guidelines Points to Consider, a document on the non-clinical assessment of the carcinogenic potential of insulin analogues provides guidance to industry on the general approach to the assessment of new insulin analogues, and these points need to be addressed before a licence would be granted. For any application, the documentation, including clinical trial details and results, accompanying the formal application for the product licence should be consistent with current European and national legal requirements and guidelines relating to applications for marketing authorisations.
	As with all new medicines, several insulin analogues are currently under intensive monitoring by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the committee on safety of medicines. We are not aware of any clinical evidence to suggest that diabetic patients who receive either human insulins, insulin analogues or animal insulins are at an increased risk of developing cancer. Any further clinical trial data would always be considered to be of benefit and welcomed.

Faye Emily Brandon

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Health Care Commission will report on the death of Faye Emily Brandon, of Loddiswell, who died at Derriford hospital, Plymouth on 14 April 2004 (case ref: C200409 0409).

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 7 February 2005
	I understand from the Chairman of the Healthcare Commission that it has received a complaint concerning the issues surrounding the death of Faye Emily Brandon. It expects to reply to the complainant by the middle of the month.

Food Standards Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Food Standards Agency spent on inspecting and auditing the performance of local authorities in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: In the 200304 financial year the Food Standards Agency spent 505,135 on the auditing of the performance of United Kingdom local authorities with regard to food standards, food hygiene and feeding stuffs law enforcement. This figure includes staffing costs for the agency's audit teams and other additional costs associated with the operation of the audit scheme.

Health Promotion

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much was spent on health promotion among black and minority ethnic communities in England in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how much was spent on health promotion in each year from 2000.

Melanie Johnson: Information on expenditure in the national health service under the general heading of health promotion is not held centrally nor is central departmental expenditure accounted for under that heading. It is not therefore possible to identify such expenditure that is aimed at particular groups.

HIV/AIDS

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals in the United Kingdom have resources to treat HIV/AIDS.

Melanie Johnson: Information on the number of hospitals treating people with HIV in England is not available centrally. Information relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved administrations.
	Since 200203, funding for HIV treatment care and prevention has been incorporated into unified allocations. These allocations are weighted in accordance with the number of diagnosed HIV infected persons by primary care trust of residence.

Kidney Disease (Children)

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of the likelihood of developing kidney disease of children under the age of six years consuming more than three grams of salt per day;
	(2)  what assessment has been made of the likelihood of developing kidney disease of children under the age of (a) seven and (b) 12 months consuming more than one gram of salt per day.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 3 February 2005
	The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) assessed the effect of salt on health in their report published in 2003 and made recommendations for salt intake in children for the first time. SACN did not specifically consider salt intake and its relationship to kidney disease in children.

Lancashire Teaching Hospital Trust

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the financial position of the Lancashire Teaching Hospital Trust.

Melanie Johnson: The Cumbria and Lancashire strategic health authority reports that the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is forecasting a deficit of 3.0 million for the current financial year.

Maternity Care

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to ensure that women in the north-west receive appropriate (a) pre-natal and (b) maternity medical care.

Melanie Johnson: We are committed to the principles of good quality women-centred maternity care and expect the national health service to provide a range of maternity services. Decisions about patterns of service provision and delivery are matters for individual health authorities and trusts to determine locally, taking into account local population needs, priorities and resources.
	The Government, in the maternity standard of the national service framework (NSF) for children, young people and maternity, published in September 2004, have set out their 10-year vision for maternity services. The standard advocates that NHS maternity care providers and primary care trusts, which will be at the centre of service delivery, should plan and provide maternity services based upon an up-to-date assessment of the needs of the local population.

Mental Health (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average waiting time for a mental health appointment in Lancashire is;
	(2)  how many people consulted an NHS mental health doctor in Lancashire in each of the last three years.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not collated centrally.

MRSA

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to raise public awareness of MRSA and potential safeguards against contracting infections.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 17 January 2005
	I regard it as a high priority for the Department and the national health service to ensure that the public have reliable and useful information about Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the source of blood infections and measures to reduce the risk of infection. There are a number of ways in which the public are informed.
	The Department publishes the details of MRSA rates in every acute trust in England, and in December published A Simple Guide to MRSA by Professor Brian Duerden, the inspector of microbiology and infection control. This is available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCareTopics/HealthcareAcquiredInfection/.
	The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has produced a patient information leaflet, MRSA: Information for patients, which is available from NHS hospitals or on the HPA website at http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/.
	The NHS Direct online health encyclopaedia has comprehensive information on MRSA available at www.nhs.direct.nhs.uk or by telephoning NHS Direct.
	Individual trusts are responsible for informing future and current patients about their stay in hospital, including infection control measures.
	One of the most important ways of reduce the risk of transmission of MRSA is by maintaining high standards of hand hygiene, and an important hand hygiene initiative is currently being rolled out through NHS hospitals. This is the cleanyourhands campaign, which includes the provision of patient information leaflets and posters. The patient information leaflet for a patient entering a Clean Hands Partner hospital invites patients to be a partner in maintaining high hand hygiene standards. The leaflet is also available on the National Patient Safety Agency website at www.npsa.nhs.uk/cleanyourhands. I expect all NHS acute trusts in England either to participate in this campaign or to have equivalent hand hygiene measures already in place.

NHS Charges

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effect the introduction of charges for (a) eye tests and (b) dental check-ups had on demand for these services.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 24 January 2005
	In 1989, charges were introduced for dental examinations and eligibility for national health service sight tests was restricted to children, people suffering from or predisposed to eye disease and people on low incomes. Over the period 1988 to 1990, the number of dental examinations in England fell from 20 million to 19 million per annum and the number of NHS sight tests from 12 million to 5 million per annum. Following our decision in 1999 to restore eligibility for free NHS sight tests to people aged 60, nearly 10 million NHS sight tests are now carried out annually in England.

Orthodontists (North-east)

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were awaiting treatment by a consultant orthodontist on the latest date for which figures are available; and what the average time taken to obtain treatment once placed on the waiting list was in (a) Sunderland Royal hospital, (b) Durham university hospital and (c) Hartlepool university hospital in the last year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: At the end of October 2004, there were no patients waiting for treatment by a consultant orthodontist at either Durham university hospital or Hartlepool university hospital.
	With regard to your inquiry relating to Sunderland Royal hospital, this is a matter for the chair of City Hospitals Sunderland National Health Service Foundation Trust. My right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Health (Mr. Hutton), has written to Mr. David Graham, chair, informing him of your inquiry.

Out-of-hours Services

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers of 20 January 2005, Official Report, column 1119W, on out-of-hours services, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the decision of the North Yorkshire Emergency Doctors co-operative to go into administration.

Melanie Johnson: North Yorkshire Emergency Doctors (NYED) co-operative was taken into voluntary administration due to financial difficulties. The primary care trusts that contracted out of hours general practitioner services from NYED have now put in place alternative arrangements that will meet the national quality requirements. The service to patients has been maintained at all times.

Passive Smoking

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have died in each of the last five years whose death was partly or wholly attributable to passive smoking.

Melanie Johnson: The 2004 report of the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH), which was published alongside the White Paper Choosing Health, states that new evidence reinforces and strengthens the conclusion of the 1998 report from SCOTH which estimated that there are several hundred deaths a year due to lung cancer caused by second-hand smoke.
	The Committee did not estimate the number of deaths due to other causes linked to second-hand smoke, such as heart disease or sudden infant death syndrome, or the number of deaths in the workplace. Copies are available in the Library.

Prescription Charges

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the scheme for exemption from prescription charges for people with chronic diseases was established; and in which years since its establishment it has been re-examined.

Rosie Winterton: The list has since been reviewed on a number of occasions, most recently 1998 as part of the Government's comprehensive spending review.

Public Houses

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has obtained from local authorities on the (a) number and (b) proportion of pubs that do not serve prepared food.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 24 January 2005
	In 2004 information on pubs serving and preparing food was obtained by the Food Standards Agency from a survey of local authorities carried out by the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS).
	This survey was carried out by LACORS via their food liaison group network with the objective of making an overall estimate of the proportion (percentage) of pubs that prepare and sell food (more than snacks such as crisps).

Residential Care Costs

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual increase in fees for residential care for residents in properties (a) owned or run by Kent county council and (b) in Kent run by Southern Cross Healthcare was between 200304 and 200405.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 7 February 2005
	The Department does not hold records of the increase in care home fees charged by local authorities (LAs). We expect this information to be held by individual LAs.

Salt

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what efforts his Department has made to raise awareness of the salt content in processed food.

Melanie Johnson: Together with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), I have been leading discussions with industry to identify and implement a range of proposals to increase opportunities for people to make healthy choices in what they eat. As outlined in the recent White Paper, Choosing Health, these are aimed at increasing the availability of healthier food including reducing the levels of salt, added sugars and saturated fat in prepared and processed food and drink.
	At a stakeholder event on salt in November 2003, Icalled for industry to submit plans to reduce salt in processed food. To date discussions have been held with, and commitments received to reduce salt from over 60 organisations.
	The FSA launched a high profile public health campaign in September 2004 to raise awareness of health issues surrounding high salt intakes. Initial evaluation of the campaign shows it has had a very positive impact; and research has shown an increase in consumers who are making an effort to cut how much salt they eat and change their shopping behaviour. The next stage of the campaign is currently being considered. The FSA also publishes regular surveys of the salt content of processed foods, which have included soup, pizza, sausages, and baked beans and pasta in tomato sauce.

Smoking-related Diseases

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the procedures adopted by the NHS in determining whether a patient is suffering from a smoking-related disease.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 4 February 2005
	There are no general procedures adopted by the national health service in determining whether a patient is suffering from a smoking related disease. However, it is standard medical practice to ask patients about their smoking history.

Social Workers

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average number of social worker vacancies was in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority; and how many were posts dealing with children in each case.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department refers to data collected annually by the Local Government Employers Organisation through the social services workforce survey which suggests that national vacancy rates for England have remained around 10/11 per cent. for social workers since 2001, when data became available in this form.

Trans Fats

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the health effects of partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) in the food supply; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: Recent research has been carried out by the European Food Safety Authority on the presence, consumption and the health effects of trans-unsaturated fatty acids (TFAs) in foods. It concluded that, given current dietary intake of TFAs in many countries including the United Kingdom, their potential to significantly increase heart disease risk is much lower than that of saturated fats.
	Dietary surveys of the UK population show intakes of TFAs are below the agreed dietary recommendations, whereas intakes for saturated fats exceed them.
	The Government continue to monitor developments in the evidence base, which might influence their future advice on the issue. The Government consider reducing saturated fat consumption to be of greater significance for public health.

Tricyclics

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's review of tricyclic drugs; and what methodology the agency will use for the review.

Rosie Winterton: The committee on safety of medicines' expert working group on the safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors recommended that a systematic review of published and unpublished placebo controlled randomised clinical trials involving tricyclic antidepressants was required to assess whether they are associated with an increased risk of suicidal thoughts, self-harm and suicide. The timetable and methodology for this review are under consideration but yet to be finalised.

Waiting Times

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will list health authorities where radiotherapy waiting times do not comply with the clinical guidelines on the maximum acceptable delays before the start of treatment;
	(2)  what plans he has to reduce radiotherapy waiting times for (a) cancer and (b) brain cancer;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of trends in radiotherapy waiting times.

Melanie Johnson: Data on waiting times for radiotherapy are not collected centrally. From information provided by the Royal College of Radiologists, we understand that waiting times for radiotherapy in some parts of the country are unacceptably long.
	The NHS Cancer Plan sets out maximum waiting time targets for cancer treatment which may include radiotherapy where this is given as a first definitive treatment. From December 2001, there is a one month maximum wait from diagnosis to first treatment for breast cancer and a one month wait from urgent general practitioner referral to first treatment for children's cancers, testicular cancer and acute leukaemia. From 2002, there is a maximum two-month wait from urgent referral to treatment for breast cancer. From 2005, there will be a maximum two-month wait from urgent referral to treatment and a maximum one-month wait from diagnosis to first treatment for all cancers.
	To tackle radiotherapy waiting times, we are increasing the numbers of therapy radiographers in post and in training, making better use of existing staff, making unprecedented investment in new radiotherapy equipment, and streamlining the patient journey.

Waiting Times

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to reduce waiting times for treatment for patients with (a) cancer and (b) brain cancer who are initially referred non-urgently but are identified as suffering from cancer.

Melanie Johnson: The NHS Cancer Plan sets out our strategy to reduce waiting times for cancer patients. A target of one month from diagnosis with breast cancer to first treatment was introduced in December 2002. 98 per cent. of patients with breast cancer were treated within this standard in the last quarter (July to September 2004). From 2005, there will be a maximum wait of one month from diagnosis to first treatment for all cancer patients, including brain cancer, which will ensure that those patients who were non-urgently referred but subsequently diagnosed with cancer receive prompt treatment. Progress towards this target is being achieved through increased investment, additional staffing levels, installing new and replacement radiotherapy and diagnostic facilities and streamlining care processes through the Cancer Services CollaborativeImprovement Partnership.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Council Tax Benefit

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Great Britain entitled to council tax benefit in each year from 199798 to 200405.

Chris Pond: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Estimates of the number of pensioners in receipt of council tax benefit, averaged over each year, and the number of entitled non-recipients are available for Great Britain only. These are published in the Department's annual statistical series: Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up.
	Statistics for 200203 have been published today and placed in the Library alongside existing publications.

Direct Benefit Payments

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with organisations that represent blind and partially-sighted people on problems they may encounter in accessing payments of benefits and pensions through direct payment methods.

Chris Pond: Several meetings have been held with customer representative organisations, including the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), Age Concern, Help the Aged, and Citizens Advice. Discussions at these meetings helped to ensure that there was a shared understanding of the detailed implications of the move from paper-based methods of payment to the various direct payment options, and a common appreciation of the type of issues that needed to be considered for blind and partially sighted customers as well as other customer groups.
	These meetings also had a key role in shaping the detailed design of the cheque payment for the small minority of customers who cannot manage direct payment.

Direct Benefit Payments

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what access arrangements are in place at Post Offices for benefit and pension recipients who are unable, due to age or disability, to access their benefits via (a) banking methods and (b) giro cheques.

Chris Pond: Most banks, building societies and basic bank accounts accessible at the Post Office have arrangements that will allow someone, including a person who holds Power of Attorney, to access the customer's account with their permission. The precise arrangement would depend on which type of account they have and with which account provider.
	Customers who have a Post Office card account can arrange to have a Permanent Agent to collect their monies on their behalf. A Permanent Agent is issued with a second card and their own PIN. The Post Office card account does not support Power of Attorney.
	Customers in receipt of a cheque payment may instruct an agent to collect their money from the Post Office using the declaration on the reverse of the cheque.
	If a customer is unable to manage their own affairs, the Secretary of State can appoint an appropriate person to receive pensions, benefits and allowances of the person for whom they are appointed. The appointee can use an existing account or open an ordinary or basic account that gives access at the Post Office or can have a Post Office card account to receive pensions, benefits and allowances.

Disability Living Allowance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance in (i) the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and (ii) the constituency of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central in each year since 1996.

Maria Eagle: The administration of attendance allowance and disability living allowance are a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Terry Moran to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 8 February 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Disability and Carers Service, the Minister for Disabled People, Maria Eagle MP, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received (a) disability living allowance and (b)attendance allowance in (i) the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and (ii) the constituency of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central in each year since 1996.
	
		Thousand
		
			 August: Disability living allowance recipients in the local authority of City of Newcastle upon Tyne Disability living allowance recipients in the constituency of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central Attendance allowance recipients in the local authority of City of Newcastle upon Tyne Attendance allowance recipients in the constituency of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central 
		
		
			 2004 14.3 4.1 7.0 1.7 
			 2003 14.2 3.9 7.0 1.6 
			 2002 14.1 4.0 6.4 1.5 
			 2001 14.2 4.1 6.7 1.9 
			 2000 13.4 37 6.7 1.9 
			 1999 13.6 3.7 6.6 1.8 
			 1998 12.8 3.4 5.9 1.7 
			 1997 12.1 3.2 5.7 1.9 
			 1996 10.7 n/a 5.3 2.1 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	Notes:
	1.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.
	2.Number is based on a 5 per cent. sample and therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	3.Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	4.From November 2002, the methodology for producing these figures was changed to allow statistics to be published much sooner. This has resulted in a small increase in the reported caseload. This is because some cases which have actually terminated but have not yet been updated on the computer system are now included.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample
	I hope this is helpful.

Disability Living Allowance

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each electoral ward in Stoke-on-Trent claimed disability living allowance in each of the past seven years.

Maria Eagle: The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Terry Moran to Mr. Mark Fisher, dated 27 January 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Disability and Carers Service, the Minister for Disabled People, Maria Eagle MP, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each electoral ward in Stoke-on-Trent claimed Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in each of the past seven years.
	The number of people in each electoral ward of Stoke-on-Trent, in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, is as follows:
	
		Table 1: 1998 ward boundariesparliamentary constituency Stoke-on-Trent central
		
			  DLA claimantsAugust 
			 Ward name 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Abbey 915 925 980 
			 Berryhill 885 905 885 
			 Brookhouse 960 965 990 
			 Hanley Green 675 690 720 
			 Hartshill 410 420 430 
			 Shelton 885 855 880 
			 Stoke West 585 590 635 
		
	
	
		Table 2: 2003 Ward boundariesparliamentary constituency Stoke-on-Trent central
		
			  DLA claimantsAugust 
			 Ward name 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Abbey Green 1,030 1,060 1,125 
			 Bentilee and Townsend 1,280 1,335 1,375 
			 Berryhill and Hanley East 830 875 900 
			 Burslem South 940 980 1,010 
			 Fenton 835 860 875 
			 Hanley West and Shelton 600 610 655 
			 Hartshill and Penkhull 475 460 480 
			 Northwood and Birches Head 785 780 810 
			 Stoke and Trent Vale 695 740 755 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Information is only available for six years (19982003).
	2.1998 to 2000 figures are based on 1998 ward boundaries.
	3.2001 to 2003 figures are based on April 2003 ward boundaries.
	4.In 200103, Berryhill and Hanley East; Burslem South, Fenton, Hanley West and Shelton; North and Birches Head; Stoke and Trent Vale wards are included as they are partially in the Stoke-on-Trent Central Parliamentary Constituency.
	5.DLA figures include all claimants including children, working age and pensioners claiming DLA.
	6.All benefit counts at ward level are rounded to a multiple of 5 to protect the confidentiality of individual claimants.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, Information Centre, Department for Work and Pensions.
	I hope this is helpful.

Disabled People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with disabilities in Coventry, South constituency have returned to work in the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 31 January 2005
	The available Information on the number of people with disabilities who have benefited from the New Deal programme in Coventry, South is in the following tables.
	
		Number of people with disabilities who have benefited from the following New Deal programmes in Coventry, South; New Deal for Young People; New Deal 25 plus; New Deal for Lone Parents; New Deal 50 plus
		
			 October to September Individuals into work 
		
		
			 19992000 30 
			 200001 30 
			 200102 30 
			 200203 30 
			 200304 30 
			 Total 150 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.New Deal for Partners information is only available at national level.
	2.New Deal for Young People started in January 1998; New Deal 25 plus started in July 1998; New Deal for Lone Parents started in October 1998; New Deal 50 plus started in April 2000.
	3.New Deal 50 plus information relates to the number of New Deal 50 plus employment credit starts to March 2003. Information on the number of New Deal 50 plus recorded job entries from April 2003 to September 2004 is not available at constituency level.
	4.All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and for this reason, components may not necessarily sum to totals.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database
	New Deal for Disabled People information is not available at constituency level. The available information for the Coventry and Warwickshire Jobcentre Plus district is in the table.
	
		Number of individuals who have work from New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) in the Coventry and Warwickshire Jobcentre Plus district
		
			  Individuals into work 
		
		
			 200101 (July to September) 0 
			 October to September  
			 200102 40 
			 200203 90 
			 200304 220 
			 Total 340 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Starts figures relate to the number of individuals registering with an NDDP Job Broker.
	2.Individuals into work figures relate to the number of individuals gaining jobs through Job Broker jobs and individuals gaining jobs through Jobcentre Plus.
	3.The NDDP programme is available to people in receipt of a disability or health related benefit and started in July 2001.
	4.All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and for this reason, components may not necessarily sum to totals.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database
	In addition to New Deal there are a number of programmes such as Access to Work, Work Preparation and WORKSTEP designed to help disabled people return to work. Details of the number of people helped to return to work through these programmes is not available at constituency or Jobcentre Plus district level.
	Jobcentre Plus also offers interviews with a personal adviser to all disabled people making new or repeat claims to qualifying benefits to ensure they are aware of the help and opportunities available to them.

Disabled People

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with disabilities in Stoke-on-Trent have returned to work in each of the last seven years.

Jane Kennedy: The available information on the number of people with disabilities who have benefited from the New Deal programme in Stoke-on-Trent is in the table.
	
		Number of people with disabilities who have benefited from the following New Deal programmes in Stoke-on-Trent(34)New Deal for Young People; New Deal 25 Plus; New Deal for Lone Parents; New Deal 50 plus
		
			 October to September Individuals into work 
		
		
			 199798 20 
			 199899 90 
			 19992000 130 
			 200001 150 
			 200102 190 
			 200203 170 
			 200304 100 
			 Total 850 
		
	
	(34)Figures are for the three Stoke-on-Trent parliamentary constituencies (Stoke-on-Trent, North, Stoke-on-Trent, Central and Stoke-on-Trent, South).
	Notes:
	1.New Deal for Partners information is only available at national level.
	2.New Deal for Young People started in January 1998; New Deal 25 plus started in July 1998; New Deal for Lone Parents started in October 1998; New Deal 50 plus started in April 2000.
	3.New Deal 50 plus information relates to the number of New Deal 50 plus employment credit starts to March 2003. Information on the number of New Deal 50 plus recorded job entries from April 2003 to September 2004 is not available at constituency level.
	4.All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and for this reason, components may not necessarily sum to totals.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database
	New Deal for Disabled People information is not available at constituency level. The available information for the Staffordshire Jobcentre Plus District is in the table.
	
		Number of people who have benefited from New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) in the Staffordshire Jobcentre Plus district
		
			  Individuals into work 
		
		
			 200101 (July to September) 0 
			 October to September  
			 200102 40 
			 200203 240 
			 200304 520 
			 Total 800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Starts figures relate to the number of individuals registering with an NDDP Job Broker.
	2.Individuals into work figures relate to the number of individuals gaining jobs through Job Broker jobs and individuals gaining jobs through Jobcentre Plus.
	3.The NDDP programme is available to people in receipt of a disability or health related benefit and started in July 2001.
	4.All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and for this reason, components may not necessarily sum to totals.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database
	In addition to New Deal there are a number of programmes such as Access to Work, Work Preparation and WORKSTEP designed to help disabled people return to work. Details of the number of people helped to return to work through these programmes is not available at constituency or Jobcentre Plus District level.
	Jobcentre Plus also offers interviews with a personal adviser to all disabled people making new or repeat claims to qualifying benefits to ensure they are aware of the help and opportunities available to them.

Forced Labour

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations have been made by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department to the International Labour Organisation about (i) the content and (ii) the publication date of the jointly commissioned report on forced labour in the UK.

Chris Pond: DWP officials continue to be in regular contact with the ILO about this matter and, in conjunction with other government departments, are actively looking at the detail of the draft report which was commissioned by the ILO and TUG. We will consider the issues of content and publication further when we have received their recommendations.

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) start-up costs and (b) annual running costs of the incapacity benefit pilot projects, broken down by cost of (i)personal advisers, (ii) the new return to work credit, (iii) condition management courses, (iv) work programmes and (v)other costs.

Maria Eagle: The start-up costs for the incapacity benefit reform (Pathways to Work) pilots were incurred in the 200304 financial year and amounted 6,137,080. These include the costs of developing an extremely new and innovative learning and development package for personal advisers and work with NHS partners on the development of the Condition Management Programme.
	The running costs for the Pathways to Work pilots are in the table.
	
		Pathways to work pilots running costs  -- 
		
			  200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Personal Advisers 626,895 2,619,651 3,619,136 
			 Return to Work Credit 248,650 5,731,923 10,688,675 
			 Condition Management 887,500 8,924,074 12,194,577 
			 Work Programmes 1,195,436 7,444,959 6,755,478 
			 Other costs 2,381,806 18,320,328 26,032,134 
		
	
	The figures for Personal Advisers also include some costs of Jobcentre Plus staff responsible for processing incapacity benefit that cannot be separated out.
	The other costs given include funding for the evaluation of Pathways to Work, costs for medical services delivered by ATOS Origin and additional support for Pilot offices.

Lyons Report

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  which of the recommendations from Sir Michael Lyons' report relating to his Department have been implemented;
	(2)  how much money his Department plans to invest in the costs of moving jobs in his Department from London and the south-east into other regions;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the effect on Merseyside of planned relocation of jobs in his Department from London and the south-east; and how many such jobs will be relocated to Merseyside as a result of Sir Michael Lyons' report.

Maria Eagle: As at the end of December 2004 the Department had relocated 2,318 posts from London and the south-east to other regions.
	Since June 2003 around 300 posts have been relocated from London and the south-east to Merseyside as part of business restructuring. No specific new plans relating to Merseyside were included in the Department's submission to Sir Michael Lyons.
	The movement of posts from London and south-east forms part of the Department's wider work force planning and efficiency programme. No separate costs are currently attributable to relocation activity from London and the south-east.

New Deal for Lone Parents

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the total expenditure on the New Deal for Lone Parents was in each year that the scheme has been in operation;
	(2)  what proportion of the budget for New Deal for Lone Parents has been spent on administration in each year that the scheme has been in operation.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the table.
	
		Expenditure on New Deal for Lone Parents
		
			  Administrative expenditure   millionPercentage Programme expenditure ( million) Total ( million) 
		
		
			 199899 17 94 1 18 
			 19992000 26 68 12 38 
			 200001 18 56 14 32 
			 200102 73 89 9 82 
			 200203 71 82 16 87 
			 200304 62 77 19 81 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures for 199899 to 200203 are outturn figures. Figures for 200304 are estimated outturn figures.
	2.Following agreement with HM Treasury to remove the 'ring fences' from individual New Deals, New Deal administrative expenditure is no longer accounted for separately. Figures for 200203 and later years are estimates
	3.Administration costs cover pay, travel and subsistence and accommodation, and include IT, estates and other non-staff costs. Programme costs on New Deal for Lone Parents will include cases where the Department buys in provision, for example to send a lone parent on a college course, or where a refund is made to a lone parent for expenditure such as cost of child care.
	Source:
	Department for Work and Pensions Departmental Report 2004

Staff Training

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the costs of departmental (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department were in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security (DSS) and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment, including the Employment Service (ES). Information for the period prior to June 2001 refers to the former DSS and ES.
	The Department is committed to investing in its people and actively supports learning and development for all staff. The Department is accredited as an Investor in People. Full information on the costs of staff training and staff development days organised by the Department is not available. This is because records do not differentiate between procedural training and personal development activities or between training delivered on DWP premises or elsewhere.
	However, overall expenditure on staff learning and development by the Department and its predecessors is in the table. Information for periods prior to 19992000 is not available.
	
		
			  Expenditure ( million) 
		
		
			 19992000 81.145 
			 200001 90.034 
			 200102 97.319 
		
	
	The figures include trainee and trainer costs, management and administration overheads. Costs for accommodation, where the Departmental estate has been used, are not included.
	In addition to formal training, staff are developed by a variety of other means including e-learning, coaching and mentoring in the work place. Since 200203, the cost of this other development has been included in the Department's overall expenditure on staff learning and development. Information for 200203 and 200304 is in the table.
	
		
			  Investment ( million) 
		
		
			 200203 132.23 
			 200304 175.43

Telephone Answering Services

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which telephone answering services in the agencies for which the Department is responsible are (a) staffed by employees of the Department, (b) serviced by call centres in the UK and (c) serviced by overseas call centres.

Maria Eagle: Currently, DWP has 122 call centres, all of which are staffed by employees of the Department except: one centre in Rotherham which deals with applications for pension credit, centres in Bolton and Liverpool which deliver the conversion of benefit and pensions customers to direct payment, a centre in Bristol which handles winter fuel payment queries together with an out of hours service for the National Benefit Fraud Hotline.
	In addition, the Department runs a number of marketing and information campaigns and the additional call centre capacity needed to support this work is usually outsourced. This is the case for the New Deal Information Line also based in Bristol, the Pensions Information Line based in Ashby de la Zouche and the Direct Payment Information Line based in Crewe. It is normal business practice for the Department to manage large scale and sometimes temporary operations in this way.
	The premises and operating activities of all these centres are wholly based in Great Britain. The Department does not use any overseas based call centres.

Training Courses

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) cost to the Department, (b) title and (c) location was of each training course organised by his Department for its staff in each financial year since 199798.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pension Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security (DSS) and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment, including the Employment Service (ES). Information for the period prior to June 2001 refers to the former DSS and ES.
	Full information on the cost, title and location of each training course organised by the Department could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, overall expenditure on staff learning and development by the Department and its predecessors is in the table. Information for periods prior to 19992000 is not available.
	
		
			  Expenditure ( million) 
		
		
			 19992000 81.145 
			 200001 90.034 
			 200102 97.319 
		
	
	The figures include trainee and trainer costs, management and administration overheads. Costs for accommodation, where the departmental estate has been used, are not included.
	In addition to formal training, staff are developed by a variety of other means including e-learning, coaching and mentoring in the work place. Since 200203, the cost of this other development has been included in the Department's overall expenditure on staff learning and development. Information for 200203 and 200304 is in the table.
	
		
			  Investment ( million) 
		
		
			 200203 132.23 
			 200304 175.43

NORTHERN IRELAND

Belfast City Airport (Road Congestion)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment the roads service has made of the impact of the removal of the planning restriction on the total number of annual passengers using the Belfast city airport on usage and congestion on the (a) Sydenham by-pass and (b) West Link.

John Spellar: The information is as follows:
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Lady Hermon dated 21 January 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the impact of the removal of the planning restriction on the total number of annual passengers using the Belfast City Airport on usage and congestion on the Sydenham bypass and the West Link (209205). I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as the Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	Roads Service has not yet been consulted on any proposal to remove the planning restriction, however, the planning application for the new terminal building and entrance was supported by a Transport Assessment, which provided a detailed analysis of the development's projected traffic impact on the local road network. Any proposed change to planning restrictions that would alter the impact on the road network will be examined to ensure that where necessary, appropriate mitigating measures are provided by the applicant.
	It should be noted that the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan (BMTP) 2015, published in November 2004, is bringing forward proposals that will improve public transport access to the Belfast City Airport, as well as proposals for increasing the capacity of both the Sydenham by-pass and Westlink.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Correspondence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his target time is in 200405 (a) to reply to letters from hon. Members and (b) for the officials in his Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

Paul Murphy: The figures sought by the hon. Member are included in the Northern Ireland Office departmental Report 2004, a copy of which is available in the Library

Dentists

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to increase the number of dentists in the Province.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 3 February 2005, Official Report column 1069W.

Departmental Contracts

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many contracts in his Department have been granted to (a) EDS, (b) Fujitsu and (c) jointly in each of the last two years; whether they were open to competition; for what they were granted; for how much, and over what period of time; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The details of contracts granted to (a) EDS, (b) Fujitsu and (c) jointly in the last two years are set out in the table.
	
		
			 Purpose of contract Open to competition Value () Period 
		
		
			 (a) EDS
			 200203  0  
			 200304  0  
			 
			 (b) Fujitsu
			 200203
			 Data Entry No 10,049 4 months 
			 Data Entry Yes 16,157 2 months 
			 Web Development No 95,000 6 months 
			 Personal Computers Yes 40,000 n/a 
			 Managed Services Yes 28,000,000 10 years 
			 
			 200304
			 Data Entry No 7,405 1 year 
			 Data Entry No 6,233 4 months 
			 
			 (c) Jointly
			 200203  0  
			 200304  0

Diabetes

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to ensure equal access to diabetes services in all areas of the Province.

Angela Smith: In June 2003 the Crest Taskforce published a report on the development of services for people with diabetes and the Department is committed to the full implementation of the report.
	Each of the Health and Social Services Boards has established local implementation groups to take forward the detailed planning and implementation of the recommendations made by the Taskforce. The Department has also set up a Regional Diabetes Steering Group to monitor the work of the local groups and develop a plan to ensure that developments are taken forward on a co-ordinated basis to ensure that the delivery of services is of high quality and is accessible to all in the community.

Economic Activity (East Londonderry)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the employment rates of people of working age in the East Londonderry constituency were (a) on the latest date for which figures are available and (b) on 1 May 2001.

Barry Gardiner: The most recent figures available from the quarterly Labour Force Survey (LFS) relate to the period September-November (autumn) 2004. These estimate that the working age employment rate for East Londonderry Parliamentary Constituency Area was 68.3 per cent. This compares to an estimated employment rate of 60.6 per cent. in the period March-May (spring) 2001 from the LFS.

Education Attainment

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average GCSE point scores, excluding GNVQ Part 1 and GCSE short courses were for each category of school in Northern Ireland in 200304.

Barry Gardiner: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lagan Valley, (Mr. Donaldson) on 19 January 2005 Official Report, column 973 W.

Fuel Poverty

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for NorthernIreland how many homes have been assisted under the Warm Homes Scheme in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) North Belfast in each year since its introduction.

John Spellar: The under-noted table identifies the number of homes assisted under the Warm Homes Scheme since its introduction.
	
		
			 Year of scheme Number of homes in Northern Ireland Number of homes in North Belfast 
		
		
			 1. July 200131 March 2002 3,146 395 
			 2. Year ending 31 March 2003 7,484 352 
			 3. Year ending 31 March 2004 7,144 483 
			 4. April 2004- (35)4,648 (36)450 
		
	
	(35)up to end December 2004
	(36)up to 25 January 2005

Fuel Poverty

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when funding will be made available for the Fuel Poverty Partnership Fund; and when this Fund will be available to those working to reduce fuel poverty.

John Spellar: We are currently examining the need for, and exploring options for identifying the resources that can be used to support the Fuel Poverty Partnership Fund. The Inter-Departmental Group on Fuel Poverty, whose first meeting is proposed for April 2005, will determine what resources are required, make decisions on major allocations and if necessary, bid for resources.

Health Trust Costs

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money each health trust in the Province spent on cleaning in the last year.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 1 February 2005, Official Report column 876W.

Heart Failure

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on support offered to heart failure sufferers in the Province.

Angela Smith: General practitioners, physicians and cardiologists manage patients with heart failure. Dedicated heart failure services have also been developed at a number of acute Trusts.
	The Clinical Resource Efficiency Support Team (CREST) recently published guidelines on The Management of Chronic Heart Failure in Northern Ireland. The guidelines focus on the aspects of care most strongly supported by evidence and aim to improve standards of care and equity of provision for patients with this condition.

Illegal Fuel Seizures

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many seizures of illegal fuel there have been in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and what quantities of fuel were seized in each instance.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures related to the value of oils seized are published in HM Customs and Excise's Annual Report and Accounts 20032004 (HC119).
	The following table shows the numbers of hydrocarbon oils seizures that have taken place in Northern Ireland over the last three years and the total volume of fuel that those seizures account for. It is not possible to provide information on the volume of fuel seized in each individual seizure.
	
		
			  Number of oils seizures Total volume of oils seizures (million litres) 
		
		
			 200102 925 1.75 
			 200203 478 1.59 
			 200304 710 1.52

Illegal Fuel Seizures

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been prosecuted as a result of seizures of illegal fuel in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	Prosecution is an important sanction in tackling fraud and Customs use it alongside a range of available sanctions, including seizing assets, duty assessments and civil penalties to maximise the enforcement impact.
	The number of convictions related to hydrocarbon oils fraud in Northern Ireland during the last three years are set out in the table.
	
		
			  Number of convictions 
		
		
			 200102 15 
			 200203 3 
			 200304 4

Northern Bank Robbery

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he plans to take in relation to Sinn Fein in response to the chief constable's assessment that the IRA was responsible for the Northern bank robbery.

Paul Murphy: The Prime Minister, myself and the Irish Government have made it clear in discussions with Sinn Fein that it is now for the IRA to respond and to make clear their commitment to ending all criminal activities. The two Governments have received a report from the Independent Monitoring Commission on recent paramilitary activity. The report will, as usual, be carefully considered and will be published soon.

Positive Steps Programme

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether reconviction rates for young offenders have met the target set by the Positive Steps programme.

Ian Pearson: The Positive Steps Programme is currently being evaluated. A report which will address reconviction rates will be published later this year.

Positive Steps Programme

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has undertaken a cost benefit analysis of the Positive Steps Programme.

Ian Pearson: A cost benefit analysis was not carried out at the time of the launch of the programme, however the financial benefits of the programme will be reported by an independent evaluator. A report will be published later this year.

Primary Schools (Coleraine)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the scheme to provide new school buildings at (a) Killowen Primary Coleraine and (b) Millburn Primary Coleraine are likely to commence.

Barry Gardiner: There are no schemes currently in planning for Killowen Primary and Millburn Primary schools. The North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB) has provisionally identified in their 5-year Capital plan, the intention to bring forward to the Department of Education major works schemes proposals for the two schools. The proposals are expected in 200708 for Millburn Primary School and 200809 for Killowen Primary School.

Religious/Political Discrimination

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of discrimination on the grounds of religious or political belief in Northern Ireland are awaiting resolution through the appeals tribunal system.

Barry Gardiner: In Northern Ireland, cases of discrimination on grounds of religious or political belief in employment are matters for the Fair Employment Tribunal. At week ending 4 February 2005, there were 1,028 cases awaiting resolution.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what account the Department of Finance and Personnel took of safeguarding and child protection in setting its budget and priorities; and what priority will be given to accreditation arrangements contained in the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 by Government departments in Northern Ireland in the development of departmental business plans.

Angela Smith: Safeguarding and child protection continue to be a priority for central government. The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety will consider accreditation arrangements contained in the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 (POCVA) along with other funding requirements in the light of available resources and competing priorities.

School Transport Contracts

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for NorthernIreland what criteria are applied in awarding school transport contracts other than the lowest cost tendered.

Barry Gardiner: In addition to the lowest cost criterion, Education and Library Boards' requirements for awarding home to school transport contracts include the following:
	Results of a Criminal Record Check;
	Driver/Hackney Licence;
	Road Service Operator's Licence;
	Appropriate DoE plates;
	Current Vehicle Test Certificate;
	Road Fund Licence;
	Vehicle Insurance;
	Public Liability Insurance;
	Satisfactory past performance; and
	Acceptable number or vehicles and drivers available
	In addition, contracts may be awarded to satisfy requirements for continuity of service from year-to-year in respect of children with special educational needs.

Sinn Fein (USA Visas)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations the Government have made to the US Administration regarding the granting of visaapplications to members of Sinn Fein to enter the USA.

Paul Murphy: We have regular dialogue with the US Government on the state of the peace process; but decisions on applications for visas are a matter for the US Government.

Social Work Files

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will issue regional guidance on the structure and content of trust family and child care social work file records.

Angela Smith: The Department has no plans to issue regional guidance on the structure and content of Trusts' family and child care social work records. The Department provides, through the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 and its associated regulations and guidance, a comprehensive framework for case recording purposes. In addition, a range of Standards developed by the Social Services Inspectorate also addresses case recording to ensure that well-structured case files and good recording practices are promoted.
	It is important that social workers' professional practice ensures that they record their involvement with children, their parents/carers and the multi-disciplinary team with which they work.

Violent Offenders

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland if he will introduce legislation to bring Northern Ireland arrangements for interagency assessment and management of violent offenders into line with those of England and Wales.

John Spellar: The first thematic inspection by the Criminal Justice Inspectorate Northern Ireland (CJINI) is a review of the multi-agency procedures for the risk assessment and management of sex offenders in Northern Ireland. Included in the terms of reference for the inspection is an assessment of the potential implications of legislating to place the procedures on a statutory footing and extending them to include violent offenders. Iwill consider the issue raised by the hon. Gentleman in light of the findings in the Chief Inspector's report, which I understand will shortly to be submitted to the Secretary of State.

Young Offenders

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of participants in the Northern Ireland Prison Service Young Offenders' Centres Positive Steps Programme have completed the programme; and how many have gone through more than one programme.

Ian Pearson: 635 Young Offenders have thus far participated in the Northern Ireland Prison Service Young Offenders' Centres Positive Steps Programme. Approximately 84 per cent. have completed the Programme and a further 16 per cent. are in the process of completion. 36 have completed both the Cognitive Behaviour Programme and the Drugs Education Programme. None of the course participants have re-entered the programme.

Young Offenders

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the reconviction rate for young offenders in Hydebank Wood young offenders centre has been in each year since 2000 for (a) all inmates, broken down by remand and sentenced prisoners and (b) those inmates participating in Northern Ireland prison service drug programmes.

Ian Pearson: Information on the reconviction rate for young offenders at Hydebank Wood, including those who have been attending prison service drugs programmes is not available at present. The Northern Ireland Office is intending to publish a statistical and research bulletin on 22 February 2005 entitled Adult Reconviction in Northern Ireland 2001.

Young Offenders

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many inmates at Hydebank Wood young offenders institution are registered drug addicts.

Ian Pearson: There is one registered drug addict at Hydebank Wood young offenders institution.